A Matter of Time
by OriginalPippie
Summary: As part of an experiment by Dr. Mendoza, The Monkees travel back in time to complete a special, secret mission. Despite Mendoza's strict warnings not to interfere, they help out many familiar faces along the way as they race to complete the mission.
1. Trial and Error

Chapter one: Trial and Error

Mike quickly tossed the broad brimmed hat to Peter. "Here put this on!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice while rushing through changing his clothes.

"Why do we have to wear these crazy clothes for?" Peter complained as he fumbled with the hat Mike had thrown at him.

"Peter." Mike picked up the hat and placed it firmly on top of Peter's head. "We have to wear this stuff in order to blend in with everyone else. We don't want to appear suspicious to anyone while we are here."

"Besides, Pete," Micky chimed in, as he was in the middle of turning his shirt around the right way. "These clothes aren't any crazier than what you normally wear." He struggled against the shirt, getting stuck in it for just a second.

"I don't think they're all that bad really." Davy said, adjusting his clothes. "The hat's a little big but not too bad. Just takes a little to get used to."

In response to this statement, Micky grabbed Davy's oversized hat and pulled it down to cover half his face. Davy retaliated by snatching open the collar of Micky's shirt, nearly pulling off a button. Mike rolled his eyes, not amused, and promptly urged the other three men to finish putting on their clothes and to compose themselves as mature adults. Though a little reluctant to end their childishness, they complied with Mike's serious orders.

When they were finished dressing in their proper period attire, the four men headed into the nearby town. As they took in the quaint sights and sounds of the small town, they fought their urges to appear as excited tourists. Not being completely amazed or even running around like children in a toy store was going to be incredibly difficult for them. Containing his own excitement, Mike managed to keep the other guys wrangled in and well behaved. He reminded them about the sheer importance of their mission and this was no time or place to act unruly.

The town to which they traveled was constructed of wood and stone. The roads they walked on were dusty and not much more than worn walking paths. It seemed strange, seeing the people move about in their plain, almost uniform like clothing with broad brimmed hats and big buckles on leather shoes. These people were friendly towards one another but held an air of somberness and purity about them. None of these people seemed to notice as the four young outsiders quietly observed them as they passed by. It was such an incredible experience to take in the live scene which would have normally been artists' renderings in history books. This experience, though, was short-lived once they reminded themselves of why they were there.

"Where are we?" Peter asked. His voice was hushed but with a sense of wonder. "Are these the pilgrims?"

Mike surveyed the area and thought for a moment before answering. "Close. I believe we are actually in Massachusetts. Salem to be exact."

"Oh wow." Micky replied with a slight gasp. "So do you think we'll see anyone… you know. Get burned at the stake?"

"Actually, Micky, people were only burned at the stake over in Europe." Davy said matter-of-factly. "Other means of execution were used in America."

"Well I stand corrected then. Thank you Mr. Historian." Micky rolled his eyes.

Davy shrugged his shoulders. "Well you _did _ask." He yelped a little as Micky yanked his hat over his eyes again.

Again, Mike tried to retain order of the group by ushering everybody ahead through the town. In order to best fit in, not draw attention to themselves, and complete the task at hand, they felt safest to follow Dr. Mendoza's strict warnings not to interact with anybody. This meant that they would all have to work hard at not exploring, or taking time to witness history as it happened. This part was a bit of a disappointment, but they knew they had to do what was necessary in order to stay focused.

"So Mike," Micky said quietly. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"It's some type of paper." Mike said with a nod. "Doc says it's a special document."

"We came all the way to Salem during the 1600's to find a piece of paper?" Davy asked confused and a little annoyed. "We could have just stayed home for that!"

"Yeah I've got lots of scrap paper in my writing desk." Peter added.

"It's part of some secret document that Dr. Mendoza needs. I remember him saying it will have his name written on the back." Mike explained.

"Well this paper _must_ be pretty important since he sent us back in time to get it for him." Micky replied. "But why didn't he just get it himself?"

"I don't know, Mick. Maybe the ol' doc doesn't like traveling. But whatever the doc's reasons for it, let's just find this paper quick and go back home."

Not knowing exactly what the paper they were looking for looked like certainly was going to make locating it much more difficult. It didn't appear that Salem was a large town, but they still felt they would have an easier time searching for the paper if they split up into teams of two. While Mike and Peter walked toward the schoolhouse, Micky and Davy decided to head towards the town blacksmith shop. The two buildings were within a short walking distance of one another, but the men figured these were still good grounds to cover at the start of their search.

Davy complained the entire time he and Micky walked to the blacksmith shop. He was absolutely sure that this was the most ridiculous place to locate a piece of paper, thus seeing no point in being there. Micky tried to remain positive about their search, claiming that they wouldn't know where the paper was unless they checked every place imaginable. This only momentarily eased Davy's complaints, causing him to bite his tongue and trust Micky. He had to admit, though not out loud, that Micky did make sense with what he said about covering more ground would make their search better.

When they reached the shop, Micky peeked in through the window. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the dark shop for traces of the blacksmith or any apprentices. He turned slightly and gave a signal to Davy to let him know all was clear. Keeping quiet and moving carefully, Micky and Davy entered the darkened shop. They moved about as best as they could with only natural sunlight and an orange glow of the coals in the furnace lighting the way for them. For just a few moments, as they let their eyes adjust to the dark, they wondered if this wasn't such a wise choice for their search after all.

Their eyes and ears were well aware of their surroundings as they kept on guard for approaching people. After a few moments of remaining frozen in their spots, their breath held steady and soft, they slowly began moving around the shop. Often one of them would stop suddenly due to the sounds their shoes made over the floor. When they felt safe enough to move, they did so with extra caution. They each felt great relief in certain areas where the wood floor became dirt, but they still moved around at a snail pace as to not draw attention from any passersby outside. As they moved on guard, they were both very aware of the fact that they blacksmith could enter the shop at any given moment. Though this caused them great anxiety as they searched the shop, they had to keep it under control in order to keep their search going steady. Luckily for them, the blacksmith and his apprentices were nowhere in sight, which allowed the two young men time to search in peace.

Davy squinted as he looked up at a shelf above his head. He saw a few items hanging on hooks along the edge of the shelf, as well as a small iron box on top of the shelf. The box was pressed against a support beam. Tucked between the box and beam was a piece of paper. Only a small corner of the paper was visible, but Davy knew he had to see what this paper was. Unfortunately, it was just out of his reach. He held his breath, puffing out his cheeks for a few seconds and looked around for something that would aid him in reaching the paper. A metal bucket gleamed in the sunlight from the nearby window, and the sight of it delighted Davy. He tested his weight on the bucket before moving it over to just below the shelf. This was the perfect height needed for him to stand on and reach the shelf. However, it was on slightly uneven ground, causing the bucket to wobble as Davy reached for the paper.

Steadying himself, Davy stood still on the bucket for a second. Once he was confident to move again, he reached for the paper on the shelf. He slid the box over just a little bit, freeing the paper from its spot. The paper wafted to the ground and the bucket wobbled, causing Davy to fall. Micky whipped his head up and he darted over to where Davy was and helped him up.

"Careful!" Micky whispered

"I'm okay." Davy replied in a similarly hushed tone as he dusted himself off. "Where'd that paper go?"

"What paper?"

Micky narrowed his eyes and looked around the area. His face brightened a bit when he spied a piece of paper on the floor near their feet. He bent and snatched up the paper before examining it. The paper was ripped from a larger document and typewritten on the back was the name Doctor Mendoza. Micky's eye widened and he let out an audible gasp. Davy slapped a hand over Micky's mouth to smother the potential shouts of glee. After a shared, though hushed, excited celebration, Micky and Davy dashed out of the blacksmith's shop to look for Mike and Peter.

When Mike and Peter left, discouraged from the schoolhouse (and grumbling that they should have known better about students using chalk tablets instead of paper) they were stunned to see Micky and Davy running toward them. Micky waved a piece of paper in his hand as he ran, shouting that they got Mendoza's paper. He ignored the baffled and somewhat offended expressions of the locals, as well as the rock in the road in front of him. When he hit the ground with a thud and an "oof!" the other three men rushed over to him. The helped Micky to his feet and dusted off his clothes. Micky held his hat in place as he eagerly showed Mike ad Peter the paper. Peter hopped in place within his excitement and clumsily bumped into Micky. This caused Micky to let go of the paper.

A breeze picked up and caught the paper before either man was able to pick it up off the ground. They chased after it, but the breeze blew stronger to keep the paper out of their reach. Davy dove to try to catch the windblown paper, but missed it and bumped into the legs of a young woman. He stood and apologized to her but when he lay eyes on her face, he froze, stunned. At first, the other three men groaned in disappointment as it appeared like one of Davy's typical love connections was in progress. They charged over to Davy and the girl but all stopped, equally stunned when they realized Davy was not in love but rather a state of shock.

"FERN?!" The four men exclaimed in simultaneous surprise

The girl, taken aback, blinked and placed a hand on her chest. She trembled a bit as she looked at them. "H-how do you know my name? Who are you?" her eyes were a bit wide to match the sheer nervousness in her voice. "Do I know you gentlemen?"

All four Monkees stood quietly, trying to think of a good answer for her. They then stumbled over their words at the same time, before Micky took the initiative to speak for them.

"Well, no, not quite. We heard somebody address you earlier today." When he saw Fern appear satisfied with this answer, he continued. "See, we are visitors from a few towns over. Andover. We were running because we had lost a horse. It ran off. We thought we saw it come this way when we ran into you."

"Oh come now." She said, not fully believing his story. "Well it seems there is neither horse nor traces of a horse running through here." She grinned slightly, but there were traces of previously shed tears near her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. "It seems you spin yarns. Why must you fib?"

This quieted Micky fast. Neither man knew how to explain things to Fern. Mike quietly reminded the other three guys not to interfere any more, but his words were ignored. Davy frowned slightly as he stepped forward, studying her face.

"Excuse my staring, but were you crying?" he asked

Fern turned and shielded the side of her face with her hand. "No, sir. I do not know what it is that you mean."

"Ah ha!" Davy laughed "Now who's telling fibs?"

Fern sighed and sadness filled her face. "Sorry, sir. I'm troubled, yes. My mother sits in jail as we speak. She's been accused." Tears came to her eyes. "There is nothing fair about it. People claim she is one with the devil and has been practicing witchcraft. I _know '_tis not true! I know she is innocent."

The other three guys knew that Davy was already taken in by her tale before she even continued. It already showed deeply on his face how sympathetic he was towards her and her problem, and how much he already wanted to help her. They knew the risks in letting Davy help her so they started trying to quietly pull him away from her. As important as Fern's sob story sounded to them, they felt that their current task for Mendoza was more important.

At first their attempts at pulling Davy away didn't work. But once Davy joined them, his face expressed a world of mixed emotions. They spoke in private, trying to decide what they should do. They knew that due to all the risks involved they shouldn't help her. At the same time they realized they couldn't simply leave her helpless. She was desperate and they were already interfering simply just by talking to her. This seemed to be their biggest weakness; show them a pretty face and a troubling story and they'd play hero no matter what the cost. They always played hero. This time they felt wouldn't be any different.

Before they realized it, they had agreed to help Fern with her mother. They weren't really sure how they were going to do it, or how long it would take but they felt that it would be better in the long run to help anyway they could. I was dangerous for many reasons but it was still something they felt they should do. They began talking quietly with Fern about the situation with her mother and what they could do. As they talked, they realized it would be impossible to simply clear her name of the accusations of witchcraft.

It was concluded that the best thing for them to do was to break her out of jail and help her escape into a neighboring town. However, the only way something like this could work was to do it under the cover of night. This meant they'd have to stay longer in the 1690s than what was originally planned. This, of course, would pose an even bigger risk for The Monkees. But it was a risk they were willing to take, as crazy as it made them feel. Crazy and stupid. Thanks to Micky pointing out to them that "if risks weren't a little but crazy and stupid then they wouldn't be risks, and definitely not worth taking" the four of them agreed to give it a go. After all, they were used to taking these risks together, and they always got themselves out of whatever trouble that came along for them.

…

The moon was the only light they had as they sat in the bushes just outside of the jailhouse. The five of them kept hidden and spoke in hushed voices as they moved around to the window which looked into Goodwife Badderly's jail room. After a brief whispered discussion, Peter was nominated as the one who would get the attention of Goodwife Badderly. Peter gulped and moved closer to the window.

"Mrs. Badderly!" he spoke just above a whisper. This caused the others to cringe and stifle their groans. "Mrs. Badderly!" he said again

Mike nudged him hard in the side with his elbow. "Goody!"

Confused, Peter looked at Mike "Thanks, Mike, but I haven't even got her attention yet." He looked at the window again, missing Mike's eye roll. "Mrs. Badderly! Are you in there?"

"Goody! Goody!" Mike corrected, sternly

Peter clapped his hands together with a smile "Goody it worked!" his smile turned into a confused frown "But she's not there."

Micky reached over and flicked the brim of Peter's hat "No you dummy! Mike means you should address her as Goody, as in Goodwife!"

"Oh why didn't anyone tell me before?"

Peter's question resulted in groans and muttered comments of "oh Peter…" This brought the Goodwife Badderly over to the window and she peeked out with a tired, confused frown.

"Who out there is making that racket?" she called, displeased

Fern moved forward, still keeping hidden in the bushes. "Tis me, mother! And some new friends of mine!"

"Oh Fern!" Goodwife Badderly peered further out the window. "So nice to see my daughter." She looked at The Monkees "And who are these gentlemen you claim to be your friends? I have never seen them about Salem before."

"Of course not, mother. They are visitors from Andover. And they assure me they are trustworthy. Mother they're here to help me get you out of jail!"

Goodwife Badderly looked at The Monkees skeptically "How do you propose to do that?"

"Do not worry Goodwife Badderly." said Mike, failing to disguise his southern accent. "We have a plan. A very good plan. All you have to do is listen to what we tell you, and trust us."

"I'm listening." She said with a tone of arrogance "This plan better be as good as you say it is, young sir."

"Oh it is!" Mike reassured with a nod "You can trust us."

Though still skeptical of them, she still listened to their plan. As they talked by the open window, a male prisoner in the jail room next door woke up and let it be known they got his attention. Coincidentally, this was perfect timing since their plan to break her out involved help from another prisoner. The Monkees promised the prisoner some gold coins in exchange for his cooperation. He eagerly agreed to help and sat to listen to their plan. He even pitched in an idea of his own which surely would help in their jailbreak being a successful one.

According to the prisoner, there happened to be a loose block in the stone wall which separated the two jail rooms. When pulled away from the wall it made an opening large enough for a person to crawl through comfortably. Goodwife Badderly and the prisoner quickly switched places inside the rooms. Before putting the block back in place, they removed and exchanged clothing. Through the window the prisoner was handed a small pouch containing several promised gold coins, as his payment for helping them. Then, once the Goodwife was dressed in the male prisoner's clothes, she was assisted through the window. The group with their escaped prisoner gave their final thanks to the male prisoner before heading off towards the town limits.

Through the darkness, everybody hurried as best as they could while being as quiet as possible. It was crucial that they not draw the attention of any other townsfolk. Luckily for them all, everybody else was fast asleep in their homes and their jailbreak went unnoticed. They raced swiftly and tirelessly all the way to the town limits, not once stopping to rest. When they got there, Fern and her mother quickly gave their appreciation for all the help. After saying their goodbyes, The Monkees watched as Fern and the Goodwife Badderly quietly entered the next town to begin their new lives, officially as outlaws. For a little bit, though, the four guys followed them to be sure they got somewhere safe.

By the time they returned to Salem, the first signs of the sun rising in the sky were seen. That was when they realized their original mission was not complete. Immediately upon realizing this they all scrambled, rushing back into town. They were in a panic as they started searching for the paper that they needed for Mendoza.

The first place they went to was just down the street from the blacksmith's shop where they first met with Fern. They stopped there only to catch their breath. Once everyone was rested enough they went on their way with hawk eyes in search for the paper. Searching high and low they were going to leave nothing unturned until they located it. After a few misses in their search, they were surprised when they spied the piece of paper sticking out of a nearby bush. Feeling responsible for being the one to lose it earlier that day, Micky dove head-first into the bush to retrieve the paper. After briefly wrestling into and getting overdramatically tangled in the bush, Micky grabbed the paper and waved it in the air. The other three excitedly rushed over to Micky and helped him to his feet. Then, each with a whoop of excitement, they each held onto the paper.

As they did this, they heard Doctor Mendoza's voice calling out to them. His voice was so loud and booming as though coming from the heavens like the voice of God, The Monkees were surprised that nobody else in the town seemed to hear it. This was immediately followed by a buzz in the air and a bright light. The light surrounded them and they appeared to dissolve into it. The light and buzzing sound faded away, along with any traces of The Monkees' existence in Salem.


	2. The Experiment

Chapter two: The Experiment

The light intensified as it filled the laboratory room with blinding white. Strange buzzing accompanied the light, as well as other mechanical noises that all grew louder by the second. It all became so loud that it overpowered the sound of Doctor Mendoza's voice. Then, as quickly as it intensified, the noises and the light faded away. The light concentrated beams that shone down upon the four empty spots of the extra-large upright lab table. Inside the beams, four figures of men took shape, forming as though attached to the table by the leather straps and metal helmets. When the light was completely gone, all four Monkees appeared, secured by the straps. Their eyes were closed causing them to look as though they were sound asleep.

Mendoza and his assistant Groot shut off all the machines and proceeded to awaken the Monkees from what actually turned out to be a trance-like state. For a little extra reassurance, Mendoza tapped them each on the forehead just to bring them into full alertness. The four of them shook themselves and blinked their eyes as though they were waking from a long nap. They looked upon Doctor Mendoza and saw him smiling. He appeared to them to be excited and a bit nervous as he began to examine them.

With a few doctor's tools in his hands, this was the first time he looked like an actual doctor as opposed to a mad scientist.

"Just hold still, Monkees." He listened to their hearts and lungs with a stethoscope. "This will only take a moment." He shone a small light into their eyes and ears.

Confused as he watched his friends get examined next to him, Mike scrunched his features into a puzzled frown. "Wait just a minute. What is this all about, Doc?"

"Say ah." Mendoza instructed Peter before sticking a tongue depressor into his mouth. "I have to make sure that everything is intact after your trip. Don't want any missing bits floating around after traveling through time."

Satisfied with this answer, the Monkees allowed him to continue. Mendoza then began asking the four of them questions about their traveling experience; how they felt both physically and emotionally, if there was any pain or strange sensations. When they told him they hadn't experienced anything out of the ordinary, he stepped back, satisfied and made notes in his notebook.

Davy attempted to move forward a little, only to have the restraints hold him back. "Have you done any of these time travel experiments with anyone else?"

Mendoza hesitated slightly "No this experiment is a first. You Monkees are my guinea pigs."

"Why not just send your assistant there, Groot back in time?" Micky asked "He'd make a good guinea pig. Besides, it seems like a lot to send four people to retrieve a piece of paper."

"I would send Groot, but he is afraid of lab tables."

The Monkees exchanged looks with each other, showing they all felt the joke had fallen flat.

"Actually, I need Groot here to help me run the machines. Now, after all that, have you completed your task?"

"Well, uh, we _did _find the paper you needed." Mike replied, sounding a bit apologetic. "But I don't see how much use it will be for you since it's only one small piece. It was ripped from the rest of the document."

Mendoza grinned and unfastened some of Mike's restraints so he could move. "Yes! That's precisely what I expected you to find." He took the paper as Mike handed it to him. "That means I was correct in determining that pieces of the document I need landed in different places and different time periods. And you know what that means?"

"You're sending somebody else to get them?" Peter asked, hopefully

"If by somebody else you mean the four of you Monkees, then yes!" he refastened Mike's restraints "Now hold on tight, boys. You're bound for another adventure!"

"Wait, Doc," Mike frowned a little "what exactly is this document? And how is it that it broke into pieces while traveling through time, but we won't?"

"Ah, what good questions!" Mendoza smiled "Unfortunately, I will give you no answers at this time."

Mendoza and Groot started the machines, and made sure that The Monkees were ready for travel. Going to each of them individually, Mendoza then placed them back into a trance. The machines buzzed and beeped and lights all around flashed. The Monkees shook a bit inside their restraints. A bright light filled the room as the machines began to work harder. Shaking harder, the four guys dissolved into the light, leaving only dark silhouettes. Moments later, the sounds of the machines died down, as did the intensity of the light. Once everything slowed to a halt, The Monkees were gone.

…

The sky brightened. Beams of bright light, almost like large laser beams, zoomed through the clouds and touched down onto the ground. Four figures appeared silhouetted inside the beams of light, causing curious animals nearby to scurry as fast as they could away from the area. The light beams faded and the silhouettes of The Monkees formed into the solid, standing human figures.

The four of them stood dizzy and a bit dazed as they tried to regain themselves upon solid ground. Once everything settled and they were able to function with clear minds they looked around them. They stood in what appeared to be a desolate grassy field with dead trees, dry brown grass and dirt paths in every direction. In the distance were rocky hills and what looked to be even more desert-like conditions. Other than wagon wheel and horse hoof tracks inlaid in the dirt paths, there weren't any traces of another human around for what seemed to be miles.

The appearance of the place, and the unbearable heat bating down upon them already gave them a sense of dread. The sheer lack of other people around was beyond unsettling. There was also the idea that a number of dangerous animals that could easily have been hidden and waiting to attack at any given moment. All four men, taking all this in account, gazed around the area, feeling grim. Unsure of where to go or what to do, they started moving about slowly. The first thing they had to do was figure out where and when they were. Hopefully they would discover helpful clues provided by Doctor Mendoza like the last time.

In nearby bushes they spied a small stack of clothes and an accompanying note. Mike read aloud the note which provided them with basic instructions on their next task. They were supposed to put on the clothes and locate the nearest town in order to search for another piece of the document. In the note, Mendoza had also informed them that there would be more danger so they would have to be extra careful.

With a slight frown, Mike put the note in his pocket and started handing out the clothes. As they sorted out which clothes were meant for which guy, there was a strong surrounding sense of danger. Before either of them could change, though, they all jumped, startled by the sudden sound of gun shots.


	3. Claiming the Gold

Chapter three: Claiming the Gold

The Monkees jumped down to the ground in a panic and covered their heads. The sounds of gunshots came closer than the previous ones. This caused everyone's panic to rise. Peter lifted his head to quickly survey the area. He pushed his head back down in fear when another shot was fired. Before he or any of them could say anything, they heard the rumbling and pounding of horse hooves on the ground as horses ran towards them. Curious as to what was going on, the four of them lifted their heads just enough to peek through the grass.

Two men on horseback came with their horses running at top speed. They each yielded a gun, and at something hidden in the distance. One of them fired his gun and there was the sound of a horse whinnying nearby. The next sound that they heard was someone, presumably shot, falling to the ground. The Monkees watched in curiosity and fear, as the two men rode by and headed towards the far off red desert rocks.

Once they were certain all was safe, everyone slowly took to their feet. Still a little shaken, they took things in caution. Mike had to gather the clothes they had dropped in their panic, and handed them out to everyone. Not saying a single word to each other, the four of them slowly got dressed in their time period clothes.

Once dressed, the four of them looked at each other. They knew that everyone had the same thoughts right then; the horsemen were definitely cowboys and Mendoza's note about more danger in this period was absolutely correct. Mike, who looked the most in place with the period in his clothes, tilted his hat and gave the others a nod.

"Well, uh, let's head out and find this town."

Unsure of which way to go, they roamed around a bit before heading towards the red rocky desert. They trudged along through the dusty paths and dry brown grass. The sun beat down upon them, scorching them as they walked. They were grateful for the hats they wore to help keep them cool and keep the sun out of their eyes. But even with their hats they were still in next to unbearable conditions in the heat of the afternoon sun.

It took them a while but eventually they wound up finding a town. But this time, they were so hot and exhausted that they felt close to collapsing. Sweat ran down their faces and they panted, desperate for water. A man, seeing their woes written upon them, kindly directed then towards the nearest saloon, and he offered to buy them all drinks. They all expressed their gratitude and followed him to the saloon. Luckily for them, it wasn't too far away. Once they arrived, they headed to the closest empty table and plopped down in the chairs.

The man who was treating them, ordered a large pitcher of beer for the table. Even though neither of the Monkees were much for drinking, they accepted beer out of desperate thirst. Within moments, the saloon girl came over to the table with the pitcher and five mugs. The Monkees had not paid much attention to her and failed to see that she appeared older than most other saloon girls. It wasn't until she spoke when they sat straight up to take full notice of her.

Her raspy voice was so distinctly familiar that there was no way of mistaking it. "Hello boys." She sat the pitcher in the center of the table and passed out the mugs. "Here you go. Enjoy." She smiled, giving them a small wink. Her older features and curled blonde hair gave her more of a motherly quality rather than that of the saloon girl.

They stared at her, trying hard to keep their jaws from hanging open. (In fact, Mike had to reach over to close Peter's hanging jaw). When she walked out of ear shot, Mike leaned closer to the man.

"Mind if I ask you her name?"

The man looked at the saloon girl and then back at Mike with a confused frown. "You mean the saloon girl? That's Millie. But mister ain't she a bit old for you? If it's more than a glass of beer you're after."

The other three Monkees faced each other and mouthed Millie's name in amazement while Mike answered the man.

"What? No, sir, I'm not lookin' for anything of that sort. I just wanted to know her name 'cause she looked familiar to me. Now you've just confirmed that we know her."

"Who? Millie?" The man asked in surprise "Mister unless you've been in this town before, and I get the notion you ain't been, then I don't see how any of you would know of her."

"Trust me. We know her from… some other time ago." Mike's face scrunched a bit, with puzzlement over what he said.

"Very well then. If you do know her, then she might recognize you. Shall I give 'er a whistle to bring 'er back over here?"

"No, thanks. We'll just talk to her later."

"Alright suit yourself, son." The man said before taking a swig of his beer.

The Monkees looked at each other, each conveying a different emotion over the situation. Though they were all glad to see that another familiar face was there, they were mostly glum and confused over what to do about it. They didn't know if it was wise talking to Millie, especially since they experienced a great deal with Fern. Also, they weren't sure yet if they were in the right place to find another piece of the document. Actually, figuring this out was more important than deciding if they should worry about Millie.

As they sat there, they spoke with the man who brought them to this saloon. From him, they learned about all the gold claims people had just outside of town. It turned out that he was in business of selling claims to people who came to town in search for gold. This caught their attention, especially when he mentioned the claim he had sold to Millie and her husband. It seemed like that this information was a cue to bring Millie back over to the table. When she got there, she sat a full pitcher of beer on the table.

"Thought you boys could use another pitcher. On the house."

"Hey, mighty kind of you Millie." The man said with a tip of his hat.

"Oh no problem at all! Consider it a thank you for that claim." She looked at the Monkees and grinned slightly "Do I know you boys from somewhere?"

"Why Millie don't you recognize your own nephews?" Micky asked with a grin "On your husband's side."

Her eyes brightened and she smiled "Oh really? Larry's nephews! Well boys it's been a while! Let me get a good look at you!" She laughed and had them stand. Her smile grew as she looked them over. "My, haven't you all grown into handsome young men! And you look just like the photographs Larry and I got in the mail!"

Mike grinned a little "Thank you Millie. We're glad you and, uh, Uncle Larry are around for such a warm welcome. At least you, Millie."

"Oh don't worry about Uncle Larry. He'll be in soon. And when he's here I'm sure he'll say hello to his nephews."

"Where is he?"

"He's just out checking on our gold claim. He should be back soon. Listen boys, it's nice seeing you, and I'd love to stay and chat, catch up with all of you. But I have to keep serving. These men aren't going to serve themselves." She laughed "See you boys later."

"Alright, see ya Millie." Mike said as she walked away. "We'll talk to you later Millie!"

After she left earshot, everybody at the table continued talking for a while. The man at the table finished his last glass of beer before standing up (albeit swaying some). He grabbed his hat and tipped it forward once he had it on his head. Saying his parting words, the man then stumbled over to the door to leave the saloon.

Shortly after they were done, the Monkees decided it was time for them to start searching for the next piece of the document. However, due to their impaired movements, and the fact that they were nearly knocked over by an older man rushing into the saloon, the four of them decided it was best to sit and sober up first. When they sat back down, they saw the older man ran over to Millie. He seemed a bit frantic as he grabbed her by the arms. His manner of speech was frenzied and he wasn't making much sense (at least the Monkees weren't able to make much sense of it in their intoxicated state.) The man's actions startled Millie but she made no visible sign that she might have been in danger by him. It didn't take much longer for them to realize this man was Larry.

They watched as Millie pulled Larry aside so they could talk in private. Unsure of what to do, and feeling leery about interfering, the Monkees sat back and tried to watch as the couple spoke to each other on the far side of the room. They couldn't hear much of what was said, but their body language spoke volumes. Larry made bold hand gestures which indicated there was some sort of emergency, and Millie, though concerned, appeared to be attempting to calm him. Wishing they could read lips, the Monkees decided to move to a closer table so they'd be able to have an easier time at eavesdropping.

It didn't take much for them to realize that the commotion was over the gold claim. They knew already that their natural hero sides were going to win out, just like it had with Fern. Watching as Millie and Larry started to hurry out of the saloon; The Monkees all stood and ran after them without a single thought. Heroism was too strong within them and refused to listen to whatever shred of reason that was left. Later they would blame the alcohol but for now they felt it was the right thing for them to do.

Mike led the way, huffing as he ran towards the older couple. The other three were close behind him, nearly struggling to keep up with him.

"Aunt Millie! Uncle Larry! Wait!" Mike saw the older couple stop and look in his direction. He stopped in front of them and caught his breath before speaking again. "We uh," he watched as the other three joined him by his side, all breathless. "We overheard everything and we want to help."

"Great, boys, thank you!" Millie exclaimed

Larry pointed at the four of them, confused "Millie who are they?"

"Why don't you recognize your own nephews?" Millie asked in surprise.

"Nephews?" Larry's face lit up "Oh right! Well boys it's nice to see you again and I'm sure we'll get the chance to catch up later. But for now we have to get to our gold claim."

Mike nodded "Right. So how can we help? What's going on?"

"We have some men working on our gold claim. There is word that someone is trying to jump it." Larry explained "Not sure how you boys can help but you certainly can tag along."

"Well Uncle Larry, we're willing to help out anyway we can." Mike said cheerfully

"Good. Well come along!"

Larry motioned for everyone to follow him before he led them all to the nearest stables. When they got there, they realized there weren't enough for everybody. This meant they would have to ride two people per horse. With everyone settled on their horses, they all took off in a hurry towards the rocky desert.

It wasn't long at all before they reached an area where a bunch of miners and gold rushers were busy working. They got off their horses and walked the rest of the way to Larry and Millie's claim. Before they reached it though, they stopped and stared in uncertainty at two men who were working on the claim. Millie whispered to Larry, saying how these men were not the workers they hired.

"Now you see the trouble." Larry said just above a whisper "They're trying to jump our claim! We have to get it back!"

Mike looked at the two men and recognized one of them from earlier as one of the men who rode past them. He whispered to the other three Monkees, pointing this out to them. The four of them huddled together and began conspiring a whispered plan. Though curious over the whispering, Larry and Millie were far more concerned with keeping an eye on the two men working on the claim.

…

The Monkees tied bandanas around their faces to cover their noses and mouths. They tilted the brims of their hats down just enough to shield their eyes. The last touches they made was to secure their fake guns into their holsters to complete their bandit disguises. Watching them, Millie frowned, feeling a bit concerned.

"You boys do be careful." Millie warned.

"Don't worry Aunt Millie." Mike reassured "We'll be just fine."

"Yeah we're only going to scare them away." Micky said "I hope." He finished with a gulp.

Taking on his usual leader role, Mike peeked out from under his hat at the other three Monkees. His eyes were narrowed and appeared serious as he spoke.

"Now you all remember what to do, right?" They all nodded and muttered in agreement. "Good. Now on my word we head out."

He looked toward the men at the gold claim. With his hand raised, he signaled to the others to hold still in their places. Once he was sure the two men were completely unaware of their presence, he lowered his hand.

"Alright, now."

On this cue, the four of them split off and headed towards the gold claim from different directions. Keeping their eyes on the other men working the claim, they advanced as swiftly and with as much stealth as they could. Once they were close enough to the claim, without being noticed, they all ducked down, getting as low to the ground as possible. They crawled as quietly as they could, inching their way closer and closer to the claim. They had to remain unseen as long as possible until they were ready to strike.

Mike narrowed his eyes and looked for the other three guys. When he saw them all in place he was satisfied. Holding his breath, he grabbed a few rocks. He bit his lip and aimed one of the rocks. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, so loudly that he was sure that others could hear it. He waited a moment to ease his heart rate then tossed out the first rock. The rock hit one of the horses in the back of the leg, causing the horse to whiney and stomp about, jerking a bit in his reigns. The horse couldn't go anywhere since his ties were around a tree trunk. The men working the claim hushed and soothed the horse and then went back to work.

With another rock in his hand, Mike narrowed his eyes and aimed again. He threw the rock, harder this time. This caused the horse to buck and break the ties before he started running. Luckily, it ran in Davy's direction and Davy bolted up onto his feet to guide the horse over to him. Even though the hose was a bit spooked, Davy managed to coax it over to him and get it to stop running. The moment that he hopped onto the horse's back, the men on the claim dropped everything and rushed towards him. They may have been fast on foot, but Davy on the horse was faster. Even though they knew this, the men ran after him anyway. However, they didn't get very far before Micky and Peter jumped out and grabbed them. They wrestled for a bit as they all tumbled to the ground. Mike dashed over and helped his friends keep the two men from running.

Once the three of them had the men in a position where they couldn't move, Davy rode back on the horse and joined them on the ground. Mike grabbed some rope and they began tying the men together, securing them to the closest tree. Once this was done, the Monkees gathered for a cheer of celebration. Their celebration alerted the waiting older couple, bringing them over to the gold claim.

Neither of them could believe that their plan had worked. They briefly continued their celebration and then Larry and Millie sorted things out with the men. It didn't take long before the couple let the Monkees know that all was settled. Their gold claim was back in their ownership and Larry was going to take the two men back into town to see the sheriff. Before anyone left, though, Larry and Millie gave The Monkees their heartfelt gratitude for the job they had done for them.

"Come back to the saloon with us, boys." Millie said with a smile "You deserve a round on me. That's just for starters."

"We really appreciate it, uh, Aunt Millie." Mike said "But we really can't stay long."

"Oh nonsense! You've saved our claim! Let us put you up on the inn, our treat. And we can sit and catch up. I bet you boys have loads of stories to tell from back home."

"Boy do we ever." Micky said "You wouldn't believe the stories we could tell."

"We really appreciate this." Mike said after giving Micky a look to get him to be quiet. "But I'm afraid we really do have to move along. We hadn't planned on staying. It was just a coincidence that we ran into you today. But don't worry, we'll catch up with you again one day."

"Oh? When will that be?" Millie asked hopefully

"Well, ah, I reckon it won't be for quite some time."

The other three Monkees had to bite their tongues to keep from saying something they shouldn't.

"Well if you boys have to go then we can't keep you." She smiled and gave each of them a hug "You do keep in touch boys."

"So long, boys." said Larry "And thanks for your help."

"We'll ride back into town with you and then we'll part ways." Mike said "Sorry we can't stay longer."

"Don't worry none about it." Larry said "Let's head on back to town. Then we'll give you boys a proper goodbye."

The Monkees nodded and helped them take the two men back into town. As they rode back, Davy felt a little uneasy on his horse. At first he thought his uneasiness was due to the fact that they had yet to complete their task for Mendoza. Then he realized that he was still riding the horse he had taken from the men. He recalled the odd sense he felt the first time he rode this horse. It didn't dawn on him in that little time that he rode it, to search the horse. But something now was telling him to do just that and it was nagging at him in a strong way.

On the sly, he began searching the horse's saddle bag while pretending to simply give affection to the animal. He stuck his hand inside the saddle bag and felt a piece of paper. Biting his lip, he pulled the paper out and hoped that it was what they had come in search of. He looked at the paper and had to hold back a gasp. Gaining the attention of the other three Monkees, he quietly showed them the paper. They had to restrain themselves from letting out yelps of glee. When the moment was right, Davy took the paper and stuck it under his hat.

The moment that they were in town, the Monkees left their horses and said goodbye to Millie and Larry. They then headed off to a part of town where nobody would notice them. They ducked between two buildings, hidden by the shadows there. Davy took the paper out from under his hat and waved it in his hand with a smile. The others congratulated him for spotting it and then they each took hold of a part of the paper.

A loud buzzing sound filled the air, surrounding them. Beams of bright white light shot down from the sky and swallowed the four of them. They faded away into nothing, and the buzzing and lights dissolved. This left absolutely no traces or memory of their presence in this town.


	4. The Seperation

Chapter four: The Separation

Once again, light and mechanical noises filled Mendoza's laboratory. The four images of the young men came into view over the previously empty spots on the upright lab table. The images solidified, bringing the four young men completely back into place. A little shaky, they regained consciousness just on time for Mendoza to switch off the machine.

"Well Monkees, how did it go?"

Mike blinked, adjusting to the light. "Well. Real well."

"It was a real trip." Micky mumbled

"Good! Good!" Mendoza smiled "Now, may I see the paper? Assuming you found it."

"Yes I got it right here." Davy said, motioning towards his pants pocket.

Mendoza instructed Groot to retrieve the paper from Davy. Groot did as he was told and brought the paper over to Mendoza. The paper was then spread out on a table with the first piece of paper that the Monkees retrieved from Salem. Since they were torn from the same document, the pieces fit together like parts of a puzzle. Mendoza stood back and rubbed his hands together with a smile.

"Everything is coming together nicely. The experiment thus far has been a success." He looked at the Monkees "I need you boys to continue with the experiment.

"Do we get to go to Disneyland this time?" Peter asked, hopefully

Mendoza chuckled "Fun, yes! But productive towards the experiment, no. Perhaps I'll send you boys there once the experiment is finished. Providing everything continues to go well."

"Where exactly _are _you sending us this time, Doc?" Mike asked before arching his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Ah-ha!" Mendoza laughed and then elbowed Groot in the side. "The boys want to know where they are going. But the more appropriate question would be _when _am I sending them."

"Ok Mendoza, so _when _are you sending us this time?" Micky asked, trying to sound cheerful, despite his annoyance.

"You'll see when you get there." Mendoza instructed Groot to prepare the machine again.

Groot prepared the machine, unaware that he accidentally flipped an additional switch. The machine buzzed, beeped and whistled and lights began to flash like before. Mendoza's face contorted in horror when he noticed Groot's mistake. He rushed to the machine to remedy the mistake, while berating Groot for it. But it was too late to do anything. The Monkees were gone.

"There's no telling what you've caused, Groot." Mendoza scolded, highly disappointed. "Let's just hope for the best."

…

Davy held his head as he opened his eyes. He winced and groaned, cursing the intense pain filling his head. The pain was so difficult to deal with that he had to close his eyes again. On top of the pain, a screeching metallic hum filled his ears and he was surrounded by an intense white light. The thing that caused him to open his eyes again, despite the pain and light, was the sound of a female voice seemingly calling out to him.

Slowly, he made himself open his eyes. As he did this, all the noise and light began to fade. However, some of the pain in his head remained, but it was now bearable. When things began to come into view, he jumped with a yelp as he stared into the face of a horse. Once the initial surprise left him, he sighed in relief.

Davy sat up and smiled to himself as he looked at the horse. He reached to pet the horse's muzzle, but was startled again by the sound of the same female voice he had heard.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was afraid I'd have to fetch a doctor. And the nearest one is about a mile away."

Looking around for the source of the voice, Davy frowned slightly in confusion. The voice was familiar but he couldn't quite place it. When she stepped out from behind the horse, he had to restrain himself from letting out a startled gasp or even call out her name.

She knelt beside him and tilted her head. "Are you alright? I didn't see any injuries on you when I checked you out. Was worried that you had hit our head."

"I'm okay. Well except for a mild headache."

He couldn't help but stare at her as he caught glimpses of her blonde hair peeking out from under her bonnet. Those same, soft features he remembered seemed a little out of place framed by the bonnet as well as the dress covering her body. It was a far cry from the dark clothing and leather jacket he had first seen her in when they had met.

She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips a little as she studied him. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I suppose you could say that. From… a different time." He snickered

She smirked slightly. "Now I know you must've hit your head. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a bit out of sorts I suppose."

She nodded. "Uh huh. Well can you tell me your name?"

He grinned "I'm Davy. Um, David Jones. It's nice to see you- uh, meet you."

"I'm Queenie." She patted the horse on the back. "Come with me, David Jones. I'll take you to see a doctor."

"No, no. That's very kind of you, Queenie. But I really am fine."

"Then at least come into town with me to get some decent clothes."

Confused, Davy looked at himself. He nearly jumped when he saw that he was still wearing his normal clothes from the 60s. He quickly lied about them being high fashion from England, which was very ahead of its time. Much to his relief, she bought into the lie. However, she still insisted that he go with her. Unable to resist her offer, he climbed up onto the back of the horse.

As they rode away, he began to feel himself fill with dread. It had suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea where the other three guys were. He had no idea where he was, although he had a good idea of what time period he had entered. But since he was by himself, he had a million questions swarming his brain all at once. And he wasn't sure if any of these questions could be answered.

He fidgeted in his seat and bit his lower lip. His eyes darted about as he watched the scenery go by. Often he needed to adjust his position and even grip the horse to steady himself as worry began to overcome him. None of this went unnoticed by Queenie, causing her to glance back at him in concern.

"David I have the feeling there's something going on with you. Tell me, what's on your mind, honey."

"Well it's just that I was traveling with some friends. I have no idea where I am or how we even got separated. There's no telling where either of them might be."

"Oh." She frowned. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I'm actually heading south to the Oklahoma territory. You're welcome to come with me." She paused to think for a moment. "Come to think about it… David I think I'll need your help with something. I'll help you find your friends in return."

Davy gulped, feeling unsure. But he knew he had no choice but to go along with her. "Sure. I'll help you, Queenie."

"My beau is fighting down south right now. And I promised him I'd bring him something. And it's not always safe when heading towards the battlefields."

Davy's eyes widened "Battlefields?"

She snickered "Surely you know of the war. How long have you been in America, anyway?"

"Oh right, of course I know of the war. I just have been avoiding battlefields as much as I can."

"Understandable. But sometimes they can't be avoided."

Davy gulped and huddled a little closer to Queenie as they rode. He knew then that he was going to be on edge the whole ride to wherever they were headed.

…

Micky groaned in pain before opening his eyes. The intense white light, and grinding, mechanical noise surrounding him caused him to squeeze his eyes shut again. Covering his face with his hands, he slowly opened his eyes to dull the effects of the light. As the screeching, grinding in his brain faded away, he began to remove his hands away from his eyes in hopes that the light had done the same. He peeked through a couple fingers, still squinting from the pain, and was relieved at the lack of blinding white.

As he looked around, trying to soothe himself with calming breaths, he felt the red hot pain in his head fade. He took one last deep breath before sitting up. Taking in his scenery, he found nothing familiar. He frowned and mumbled to himself, trying to make sense of what he saw in order to gain some sort of bearings.

Remnants of campfire smoke were in the air. There were tree stumps circling the abandoned fire pit along with signs of a recently cooked and eaten meal. There were varying degrees of what appeared to be tents made of tattered animal skin and wooden poles. Broken weapons, as though discarded during a fight, lay scattered on the ground. Arrows and bullet holes stuck in the sides of a couple of the standing tents.

A chill filled the air, carrying with it the cries and the ghosts of the recent battle which had taken place there. From the looks of this, and the campfire also still smoldering a bit, this battle had not taken place very long ago, probably within the hour.

Micky gasped and a shudder ran through him as he took in all that was before him. To make things worse, he had a million things to say about this sight but there was no one around to share any of the thoughts with.

Not noticing the horse and rider strolling up to him, he jumped nearly out of his body and he yelped when the horse nudged him in the back. With a panicked breath, and widened eyes, he turned around with all intents to say 'don't do that.' However, before he could finish the first syllable, he was stunned by the face looking down at him from on top of the horse.

"Are you alright, honey?" she asked in a husky tone.

Micky had to stop himself from dropping his jaw. "Uh huh. Yeah I'm alright." As he answered, he hoped that he wasn't staring too much at her.

"You speak English I see." She climbed off her horse, allowing him a better look at her soldier's uniform she wore. "Honestly, I thought everyone had fled from this camp. Is there anyone with you?"

"No. No I'm by myself."

"Do you need any help? Are you hurt at all?"

"Aside from a dull headache and not really knowing where I am or where my friends are, I'd say I'm fine."

She studied him "You speak real good English. Pretty fluent. I'm surprised. And… those clothes are questionable though."

He cocked an eyebrow "I could say the same about your clothes, miss, um…"

"Nancy. But I prefer Nan. What's your name, injun?"

Micky blinked, taken aback by her comment. He decided to go with her mistaken identity of him being an Indian. "Well the white men have named me Micky."

"Micky." She nodded "I can go with that. How long have you been here, Micky?"

"I, uh, don't know. I guess I've been out for a while. I'm a bit lost actually. I was with some friends and we somehow sort of split up. Must've blacked out, though I can't remember what could've caused it. When I woke up I was here and my friends were gone."

"Boy. Once you grasped the English language you fell in love with every word, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

She laughed. "I just mean you talk a lot."

Micky blushed a little. "Sorry."

"Don't be." She laughed "Look, I can see you're in need of help. I could actually use some help too. How about you come with me and I'll help you find your friends?"

"How would that help you, though?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"There, where?"

"You'll see. " She patted the horse's back. "Hop on injun."

Not knowing what else to do but trust her, Micky climbed up onto the horse. He looked at Nan, his memories of their first meeting flooding back to him. Suddenly his jaw clenched from the memory of pain caused by Nan's fist where she had punched him. He quickly shook these thoughts away as he watched Nan take her place in front of him on the horse.

Micky was concerned that he didn't know where they were going, or even what they'd do once they got there. He was even more concerned, though, over the fact that he had no idea what happened to the other three guys. Though panic began to rise inside him, he made himself appear relatively calm as he rode with Nan. The trouble with doing this was that he had no idea when or if he'd be reunited with his friends. For the time being he knew he'd have to roll with whatever came along.

…

The brightness filled Mike's eyes, despite the fact that they were closed. He cringed, squeezing his eyes closed even tighter. Intense pain pounded inside his head, made worse by the screeching and grinding sounds of metal upon metal. In an attempt to toughen it out, he forced himself to sit up. This move proved devastating on his head, causing him to quickly lie back down with a groan. He muttered to himself, while covering his face with his hands. As he lay there in misery, he hadn't realized that someone had walked over to where he was.

"Are you hurt?"

The feminine voice startled him, but it relieved some of the pain. He uncovered his face and opened his eyes, still wincing though the light had begun to fade. For a moment, he stared seriously towards the source of the voice, and waited for his vision to clear. Once all was normal, except for a dull headache, he slowly sat up and looked at the girl. What he saw was both a pleasant sight, and yet, a somewhat unsettling one at the same time. All he could do was stare at her and recall his memories of their first meeting.

"Are you hurt?" She repeated her question while kneeling beside him. She removed her bonnet, letting her long red hair flow freely.

"I'm fine now." He looked all around and saw buildings nearby. "Where am I?"

"You're just outside of Oswego Kansas." She tilted her head in concern. "Are you sure you're not hurt? Did you hit your head perhaps?"

Mike nodded. "I'm fine. Might take me a moment to get my bearings, but I assure you, I'm fine. At least, will be."

She frowned in concern as she looked at him. "Maybe I can help you. Where is the last place you remember being?"

"Um…" he frowned and muttered curse words when he realized. "I can't tell you exactly where I was. But I was with some friends. I have no idea how I got here or what happened to them."

She gave a small nod. "Alright. First thing's first, my house is just down the street here. Come with me and I will fix up any injuries you might have. Then we'll talk and try to figure this out together." She looked at him, puzzled. "I'm sorry. I just have this strange feeling that I know you from somewhere."

"Perhaps you do. I'm Michael. Friends call me Mike."

"Mike." She grinned. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ann." She put her bonnet back on "Now let's head to my house."

"You sure work fast." He chuckled "Just met and now you're asking me to come to your house. We haven't had a chance to properly court first."

Ann blushed. "Don't get any of those ideas, Michael. I'm trying to help you. Now come along."

Mike grinned. "Yes ma'am."

Ann helped him stand and then led him to her house. As he walked with her, he had to fight against memories of their first encounter. He knew that he had to keep those thoughts and other urges at bay so he wouldn't come off as suspicious.

Once they entered Ann's house, Mike paused by the doorway as a strange feeling hit him. He couldn't explain it but he could sense that they weren't alone in the house. When he looked around, ignoring what Ann was saying to him, he couldn't see any signs of other people. But he knew they were there. He decided to let this feeling go as Ann took him by the hand.

Talking to him, she led him over to the kitchen table. She sat a basket of crude first aid materials on the table between them and then began examining him for any injuries. Brushing Mike's hair back away from his forehead, Ann paused, catching him by the eyes. She pulled back, studying his face.

"It's strange. I know we haven't met before, but I feel as though I know you from somewhere."

Mike shrugged. "Perhaps I have one of those faces that people are so familiar with."

"Maybe." Ann glanced into the basket and picked up some gauze, though not sure of why she needed it then. "Michael I feel as though I can trust you."

He gave a small nod. "You can." A sense of intrigue befell him and it must have shown on his face, for Ann continued with her thoughts.

"You can keep a secret, right?" she leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Even if that secret was very big one that could get people into a lot of trouble?"

Mike looked at her, a bit surprised. He relaxed his features and cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. I'm like a steel trap. You can trust me with anything."

"There are other people hidden in the house." She whispered.

For just a second he was unsure of what she could have meant, or why this sort of secret would have got anyone in trouble. Then it dawned on him that she was referring to slaves. When pieces began to fall into place in his mind, he leaned forward and whispered.

"You need someone to help you, don't you?"

She nodded solemnly. "And you need help finding your friends, do you not?"

They were both silent for a moment. In that silence an understanding was made between them. Nothing more needed to be said or explained. Though he mentally cursed himself for being a natural hero to "damsels in distress" Mike agreed to help Ann. He did so, though, with a sense of dread. But this dread was over the nagging thought that he wouldn't be able to find his friends and they wouldn't be able to complete the task for Mendoza. The dread also came with the realization that he had no idea what would happen if they weren't reunited.

…

Mechanical screeching overcame Peter's ears. This was immediately followed by the horrific pain in his head. He groaned and brought his hands to cover his ears, but this did nothing to muffle the sound. Trying to open his eyes proved to be a big mistake, for he immediately met an incredibly white light. Squeezing his eyes shut, he groaned again, hoping desperately that this all would go away. Soon, the grating machine sounds faded, along with much of the pain. Though his eyes were still closed, he could tell that the light still surrounded him. He waited until he was sure that the light was gone before he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing Peter saw was another pair of eyes staring back at him. He slowly sat up and got a good look at the girl that stood before him. Right away, he had to hold back a gasp when he recognized her. However, he couldn't help the smile that formed upon his lips.

"Hello." He said cheerfully.

"Hello." She furrowed her brow slightly. "I'm glad you're awake. You were out for a little while."

"Was I?"

She nodded "Are you in any pain? I checked for injuries but couldn't find any visible ones."

"I'm fine." He looked around and realized he was in a bed. "Where am I?"

"I brought you into my house when I found you passed out. Tried to give you a comfortable place to lie." She paused to check him out. "You sure you're alright? How's your head?"

"Just a small headache but I'm fine. Thank you so much for taking care of me, miss-"

"Jan." she grinned slightly "Do you know who you are?"

"I'm Peter."

He looked at her a bit puzzled when he saw the dress she was wearing. His puzzlement grew as he noticed other things in the room that he was unfamiliar with. It was then when he tried piecing together historical things to figure out a general time period.

"Jan? Where exactly are we?"

"We're in Pittsburg Kansas. Don't tell me you've lost your memory."

"No… just lost. See I was traveling with some friends. I have no idea how I wound up here."

"Friends. Well I'm sort of looking for some, uh," she cleared her throat "_friends _myself. Should be meeting them later tonight. Maybe we could help each other with our _friends._"

"Oh really?" Peter smiled. "Jan that would be wonderful! Thank you so much!"

She grinned, enjoying his enthusiasm. "So you don't mind sticking with me for tonight?"

"Sure." He frowned a little "Why tonight?"

"It'll be dark then. Trust me, we'll need the darkness." She pated the mattress "Come on, get up."

"What for?"

"We have things to get ready and we have little time."

Though confused, Peter got out of the bed and began helping Jan prepare for travel. As he followed her out to a horse stable, a sinking feeling entered his stomach. He was very much confused over what was happening, but he already felt like it couldn't be anything good. Not only did he have a bad feeling about what might happen with him and Jan, he began to worry about his friends. He worried over the fact that he had no idea where they all could be. It was a big concern that he knew there was no way of contacting any of them. Though he was worried about the possibility of never seeing his friends again and being trapped in this time period, he knew he mustn't let Jan know how worried he was. He realized then that the best thing for him to do was to go along with whatever Jan had him do for her, and hope beyond hope that things worked out in his favor.


	5. The Reunion

Chapter five: The Reunion

Davy gulped as he and Queenie rode up to the Confederate army camp. He clenched his seat tight once he caught glimpses of Butch. The memories he had of Butch caused him to sweat. But he knew he had to keep himself together so that he didn't give anything away.

When Queenie stopped the horse, she climbed down and walked over to Butch. Davy watched as they hugged and then they began talking quietly. Queenie looked at Davy, causing him to sit fully alert. When she waved him over to them, he motioned to himself while mouthing the word "me" in question. She assured him, waving him over again and then he climbed off the horse.

He walked over to them and briefly introduced himself to Butch. Confusion swept over him as Queenie told him to take off the suit jacket she had given him at the start of their journey. His confusion grew as she handed the jacket to Butch who promptly began rummaging through the pockets. And when Butch laughed, while pulling out a piece of paper, Davy became suspicious.

Butch gruffly patted Davy on the shoulder. "Betcha didn't know how valuable your jacket actually was."

Davy gulped and shook his head. "No sir. You're not going to do anything to me, are you?"

Butch laughed. "Only if you want me to!" He laughed again. "No, son, you've done a great service for the Confederate army." He stuffed a different piece of paper into the jacket pocket and then draped the jacket over Davy's shoulder. "Take care of that or I'll personally come after you."

Davy trembled with widened eyes as he reassured Butch that he wouldn't let anything happen to the jacket. Once the exchange was over, Queenie instructed Davy to get back on the horse. Davy put on the jacket and climbed onto the horse before asking where they were headed next. She climbed on the horse and took the reins.

"We're headed west towards the Cabin Creek field hospital. We'll be meeting with a friend of mine."

"Fantastic." Davy swallowed and held on tight in his seat.

…

Micky watched curiously as Nan prepared a makeshift examining table inside of the field medical tent. His stomach began to churn from the thought of Nan performing a crude form of surgery on a soldier, just hours earlier. Luckily for him, it was just a small bullet removal and she had not even begun to get into the bad stuff. It was also lucky that things seemed pretty quiet near the battlefield today. But it wasn't certain how long this would last.

Once everything was set up and the medical instruments were clean and ready, Micky looked at Nan to get something off his mind.

"Nan, I get that you're a field nurse and all. But why the soldier's uniform?"

"Simple, injun. I can easily disguise myself as a man and enter battle without question. That way, I am right in the middle of the action and I can take care of whatever business happens to come my way."

"What do you mean by business?"

"My, aren't you a curious injun!" She laughed. "Sometimes I have to pass bits of information on between soldiers. I can only do that while on the battlefield. Or from inside the army camp. It's just less suspicious while on the field."

"But more dangerous."

"Maybe so, injun. But it's a risk I'm willing to take." Nan hesitated as though in thought. "I just remembered. I'll have to meet with somebody real soon. She should be headed our way now."

"She? You mean there's other girls out there posing as soldiers like you?"

"Maybe so. But the she I'm referring to is no soldier. Her boyfriend on the other hand..." she trailed off.

Micky gulped and felt a knot in his stomach. As she spoke of her friend, he had a very good idea of who it might be. At least, he knew it would be one of three girls he knew to be associated with Nan. Micky thought it would be nice to see another familiar face but he would rather it be one of his friends instead. But he had no idea exactly how right he was about who he might see.

…

Mike stood in the doorway, keeping watch to be sure nobody was outside. It was plenty dark enough to head out, but there were still a few people wandering around the town. Mike frowned seriously as he watched what he hoped to be the last person to head inside for the night. After standing in the doorway for a few moments longer, he stepped back and closed the door.

Walking over to where Ann was, he watched her pack food into a large basket. Without asking, he began helping her with the food. Once the basket was packed, he helped her gather blankets and grabbed a couple lanterns off the near wall.

She looked at him while folding a blanket. "This should do it. You ready?"

He nodded. " Now's the best time to head out."

Ann picked up a stack of blankets and asked Mike to carry the basket. They then left the kitchen and walked over to a secret door that led to a hidden basement. From there, they went down to where the group of runaway slaves were quietly waiting. They then passed out the supplies and instructed the first couple pf people to leave through a tunnel which led outside.

Leaving just a couple minutes apart, Mike and Ann ushered all the people out of the basement. As soon as everyone was together and all was safe, they all began heading down the secret path into the nearby woods.

Everything was quiet, with breath held and steps taken as lightly as possible. Mike often looked back to count everyone to be sure they were all present. So far, the beginning part of the journey north was turning out to be a success. And Mike was astounded that he got to be part of something so brave and heroic. Also extremely risky.

He had always read about the Underground Railroad and was amazed at how everyone managed to pull it off without getting caught. But he had never thought he'd actually become part of it.

Thoughts of this great historical moment left his mind. He quickly became serious and focused on the task at hand. He also started thinking about his friends, wondering what became of them. The thought occurred to him then that, if he wound up helping Ann, surely the other three guys had run into the rest of the biker girls. (Assuming they all landed in the same time period.) He thought that if this was the case, then perhaps their paths would cross. The trouble was, there still was no telling when or if this would happen, or if they'd make it back home.

…

Peter shook so much that he nearly dropped the lantern as Jan handed it to him. His eyes wildly moved as he looked around the area. The field seemed much larger and was so frightening in the dark. The spookiness of the dark field gave him chills and he trembled, too afraid to speak.

Jan kept her gaze on the horizon which was right at the edge of some woods. She remained focused and calm, and yet it seemed as though something big was going to happen soon. Peter watched her and tried to stop his trembling so he could match her state of calm. However, he couldn't contain his shaking, causing the lantern in his hands to rattle. Jan looked at him sternly and grabbed the lantern.

"You're going to give us away!" She exclaimed in a whisper.

Peter gulped. "Sorry." He held himself to stop shaking. "Hey Jan? What are we doing here?"

"We're meeting a friend of mine. She's bringing some people north. She'll be meeting us here and I'm supposed to take the people the rest of the way."

"People? What people?"

"Just someone we're rescuing. Now hush because they should be here soon."

Peter nodded and kept his mouth closed tight.

Jan kept her focus on the tree line and then lit the lantern. As she did this, she whispered that someone was coming. She rose the lantern to signal the people approaching where they were. After a few moments she lowered the lantern and put out the light. As the people drew near, Jan frowned in confusion.

"That's not them. Oh dear. That's not them."

"Who?" Peter asked. He narrowed his eyes and spied a horse and two riders coming up to them.

"Shh!"

They crouched low into the grass while watching the horse move towards them. Once the horse was close enough, Jan rose her head to take a better look. She released a small, quiet gasp when she realized who was approaching. Peter was about to question her about this when he recognized one of the riders. He and Jan stood and then Jan lit the lantern again.

"Land sakes!" Jan exclaimed before the horse stopped. "If it isn't Queenie!"

Queenie smiled and climbed off the horse "Jan? Is that really you? Mercy I haven't seen you in ages!"

Davy laughed and hopped off the horse. "Peter! Peter you're here!"

Peter smiled in surprise and laughed. "Davy!" He bounded over and scooped up the smaller man into a big bear hug. "I can't believe it's actually you!"

"Peter!" Davy gasped "you can put me down now!"

"Sorry." Peter chuckled, setting Davy down and letting him go. "Guess I got carried away."

The two girls stood back, watching them during their reunion. They smirked and snickered before turning to each other in their own happy reunion. After a couple minutes they regrouped and started talking about everything they had gone through. Davy and Peter stepped aside to whisper to each other about what might have happened to Mike and Micky. They realized that since the two of them were able to reunite, then that meant Mike and Micky had to be somewhere in the same time period. They also realized that, since they were with two of the biker girls then the other two girls had to be somewhere as well. Before they could wonder any more about this, all conversation stopped abruptly.

Jan had once again spied someone leaving the woods, this time on foot. She quickly hushed the others and told everyone to remain still. As they did, they all watched as the people came nearer. It quickly became apparent that this was the group of people that Jan and Peter were waiting for.

The group of people came even closer and then Jan used her lantern to signal the group. Once the group had finally reached them, Davy and Peter let out collective gasps.

"Mike!" They exclaimed together before rushing him.

"What in the world are you two doing here?" Mike asked in surprise as they hugged him.

"We could ask you the same thing." Davy replied.

"I was helping Ann bring these people north." Mike said while motioning to the runaway slaves.

Peter laughed. "That's what Jan and me were going to do!"

"No fooling?" Davy asked with a laugh. "What are the odds of that?"

As the three men talked amongst themselves, the three girls stepped aside to have a much more secretive conversation. After a few moments, Queenie mounted her horse, preparing to leave. As she started to ride away, she mentioned heading in Nan's direction with some important news. She left everyone else, and disappeared quietly into the darkness.

Upon Queenie's departure, the three men came together to continue their reunion celebration. However, it was during that celebration when they realized Micky was still missing. A wave of dread suddenly washed over them and they all wondered out loud what could've happened to Micky. It had not occurred to them, yet, that the fourth girl also wasn't accounted for. But before either of them could even begin to put any of the pieced together, the girls announced that it was time to move the runaways forward to safety. They would have to worry about Micky and Nan later. For now, they had to head north.

…

"Move faster, injun!" Nan shouted

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Micky groaned and then whimpered as he struggled to carry a wounded soldier into the tent.

He panted and felt a little squeamish by the blood on the soldier's body. The soldier awoke and released a pain-filled groan. This caused Micky to give all that he had to carry him the rest of the way into the tent while ignoring the blood. Micky carefully laid the soldier, now screaming in pain, onto the table. Nan rushed over and gave Micky an order to hold the soldier down and give him something hard to bite on. Micky did just that, not paying attention to what Nan was doing.

The soldier screamed, though it was somewhat muffled as he bit down on the bullet Micky had placed between his teeth. Micky didn't dare to look up until he heard a loud crack. Immediately, his eyes widened and then he began to feel faint as he watched Nan begin to saw the soldier's leg off just below the knee.

Micky winced and then turned his head, unable to bear the sight. He closed his eyes tight and tried to hold himself together while the soldier screamed in pain. After a little while, the screaming stopped and Nan began wrapping the wound tightly. That was when Micky opened his eyes again. He looked at the soldier and then spied all the blood on and around him. If Micky was bold enough to look at the ground, he would have seen the discarded severed limb. This for sure would have caused Micky to pass out, but luckily for him, he didn't see it. Instead, he told Nan he needed to get some fresh air before leaving the tent.

When he stood outside of the tent, Micky bent forward, placing his hands on his legs, and took in some deep breaths. Not only was he trying to calm himself, he was also trying to gain his stomach back into its proper place. As he stood there, he muttered to himself about how glad he was that his mother never pushed him to become a doctor.

Once he was calm enough, he looked up and finally took notice to the morning sky. He and Nan had been busy with wounded soldiers since just before dawn, so he didn't get the chance to relax and take in some peaceful scenery until this moment. When he took his eyes off the sky, he looked out towards the open field and saw a woman on a horse riding up towards the medical tent. Right away, he recognized the woman as Queenie and he dashed back into the tent to get Nan's attention.

Nan finished working on the soldier and stepped out of the tent. She wiped blood off her hands and looked up towards the new arrival. A smile ran across her lips as she saw Queenie get off the horse and walk over to her. The two girls shared brief greetings before getting down to business.

Micky stood back and watched them interact while trying not to seem obvious that he was paying attention. He adverted his eyes slyly when the girls exchanged pieces of paper which seemed to contain something quite secretive. After a little bit, his ears perked up and he looked at the girls as they started talking about something quite intriguing to him. He caught pieces of what Queenie described as her running into the other two girls and a group of runaways heading north. The most interesting part was the fact that the group included men who were helping the girls. When he heard this, his eyes widened and he became more alert. He no longer could pretend he wasn't paying attention. He had to find out more about these men.

Walking over to them, Micky politely asked Queenie to describe the men to him. Though she was a little confused as to why he wanted to know, she complied with this. As she gave the descriptions, Micky's face brightened and he couldn't help but laugh.

"That's them! That's my friends! Queenie do you have any idea where they were heading?"

"Yes." She blinked in surprise "They should be half way to Pittsburg Missouri by now."

"I've got to go to them!" Micky exclaimed, getting more excited by the second. "I-I need a horse! I can't get to them without a horse!"

"Calm down, injun." Nan said. "This is very important to you so I will lend you mine."

"Nan! You're an amazing woman!" He grabbed the sides of her face and planted a big kiss on her lips.

The kiss immediately resorted in her punching him in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, holding his jaw and groaning in pain.

"I probably deserved that. Should've learned not to do that."

The girls looked at him completely baffled. He laughed and shrugged it off as some kind of joke. Moments later, Nan brought over her horse and Micky climbed on. He thanked the girls and told them goodbye before riding off.

…

Mike peeked out the window and narrowed his eyes in concentration. He watched the horizon as the sun began setting and then he began calculating the best time for everyone to leave again. Since just before dawn, he and the rest of the group with the runaways had been resting in an abandoned farmhouse and adjacent horse stable. While everyone was asleep, Mike was up with worry.

Of course he was worried that someone would catch the group but he was more worried about Micky. For one thing, there was absolutely no telling where Micky might have been. And the thing that made him worry about this was that he felt that Micky may have been on the move. There was a chance that Micky could have been traveling in search of them. If Mike had any idea how right he was about this, he probably would have gone out to meet up with him somewhere. At the same time, Mike knew that he couldn't really do that to everyone else.

Peter yawned and walked over to Mike. He placed a hand on Mike's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Anything out there?" Peter asked.

"No, nothing. I doubt there'll be anyone out there. As soon as the sun goes down we can leave."

Peter nodded and looked out the window. He frowned slightly as he looked towards the horizon. A thoughtful, yet sad look befell his features.

"Do you think Micky is out there?"

Mike appeared to chew on the inside of his mouth and his eyes narrowed some more. "I sure hope so. He's bound to be out there somewhere."

With a small nod, Peter drew in a worried lip. He patted Mike on the back. "We probably should have everyone get ready to go."

Mike nodded and turned away from the window. He and Peter moved into the next room to join everyone else. As they started to get everything ready to move out, there was a knock on the door. This knock immediately quieted everyone in the house. They all froze and held still, too afraid to be noticed.

Davy walked to the door and looked back towards the next room. He checked to be sure that no one could be seen and then he faced the door.

"Who is it?"

There was a startled gasp from the other side of the door. This gasp had confused Davy as he looked at the door.

"Um… who is it?" he asked again.

"Davy? Is that you?"

Davy's eyes widened and he tore open the door. He smiled brightly and threw his arms around Micky's shoulders, bringing him into a big hug. They both laughed as they embraced and then Davy pulled Micky into the house. This drew the attention of the people in the next room. Mike and Peter were the first ones out of the room and then the four men embraced and cheered in celebration. Naturally, the celebration caused curiosity to overtake the rest of the people, bringing them into the main room.

The celebration and confusion died down and the seriousness filled the room. There suddenly was the notion of missions to carry out. The Monkees knew that they had Mendoza's mission to complete but they also couldn't leave the people stranded partway through traveling north. This was quite a dilemma, and much bigger than what they've faced so far. As they discussed this, they realized that they've helped everyone else complete whatever they needed help with and this time shouldn't be any different. They thought that by the time they brought the runaways north, they'd be able to complete Mendoza's task. The problem was, they had no way of telling how long it would take.

When the four of them rejoined everyone else, it was time to leave. In that moment they knew they had to help these people now. There was no time to waste. Everyone started leaving the house and began walking towards the nearest woods.

…

Hours had passed and the peeks of morning sun peeked through the tree branches. The group came near the edge of the woods and saw the closest town just a little ways ahead of them. This town, they realized was the one that would provide the runaways with the most safety. The runaways began praising over their pending freedom. The Monkees took notice to this and smiled, proud that they could help. They stopped the group and told them that they'd have to leave them behind and continue with their own journey.

The runaways came together to give the Monkees small tokens of appreciation. Amongst those little trinkets, Peter was given a handwritten note. It wasn't until he walked away to join his friends in the woods again when he took the time to examine the note. He lit his lantern for better visibility and shone light over the note. When he examined the note, he gasped.

"Hey guys? Guys look!" He waved the note in the air to get their attention.

The other three gathered around and saw that the note was written on the back off a piece of the document. The four of them quickly celebrated their find and then they each took hold of part of the document. At first, nothing happened, which had them confused and disappointed. They held their breath and waited for a few more seconds. Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath their feet, lurching them forward a little and then beams of light crashed down from the sky. The light completely surrounded them and seemed to suck them in whole. The Monkees and all traces of them in this time period dissolved away into nothing.


	6. All in the Act

Chapter six: All in the Act

The entire lab seemed to shake as the machine went wild with noise and lights. Doctor Mendoza and Groot were both frazzled as they hurried to stop the machine. It was even more crucial that they bring The Monkees back safe. Neither Mendoza nor Groot were sure what became of the four travelers.

Suddenly, blinding light and loud mechanical screeching filled the room. The shaking sensation worsened, especially around the upright lab tables. The restraints rattled against the metal and faint images of bodies began forming inside the restraints. Mendoza and Groot were both on edge as they watched these figures become solid.

The moment that the machine stopped and all returned to full stability, Mendoza hurried over to the lab tables and brought the Monkees to consciousness. He kept them still and began examining them. Once he was sure that they were all alright, he eased them out of their restraints. Full of apologies, Mendoza had the four of them sit and rest a bit putting the experiment on hold. He felt it to be important to let them rest and recuperate after this particular journey. To this, they were grateful.

After a while, the four of them spoke about their separate journeys. During this time, Peter had also presented Mendoza with the piece of the document. He apologized for the writing on it, but Mendoza was merely awed by the historical artifact that this paper had become. He took it and placed it with the rest of the pieces before asking The Monkees to continue with their tale of the journey.

The entire time that they spoke, Mendoza sat, amazed. Though he remained apologetic for the mishap which separated them, he was overjoyed to hear all about their individual experiences. Once they had finished sharing, and accepted Mendoza's millionth apology, they admitted that they were having fun traveling through time. This admission caused great excitement for Mendoza and he asked them to continue the experiment.

The Monkees came together and started quietly discussing Mendoza's question. It didn't take long, though, before they reached a decision. They separated and turned to Mendoza, accepting his proposal to continue the experiment. This completely overjoyed Mendoza, and then he and Groot began dancing in a circle with a small cheer.

Mendoza and Groot then helped The Monkees back onto the lab tables and into the restraints. After reassuring them nothing would go wrong this time, Mendoza started the machine. With the loud noises and bright light, The Monkees disappeared, headed for another unknown place and time.

…

The four light beams faded away, leaving the men standing in a slight daze. On either side of them, they saw brick walls. There was light which led from the end of the alley to the nearest road. This appeared to be the first paved road they had seen since the start of their journey. After a quick peek at the road, the four men ducked back into the alley to find what they needed for this time period. On top of the stack of clothes was a note written by Mendoza. The note didn't give them much instruction beyond checking every theatre in the city and to stay out of trouble. Shrugging over the vague instructions, the Monkees then gathered their clothes and got dressed.

Looking quite dapper in their suits and bowler derbies, the four men left the alley and stepped onto the street. As they started walking in one direction, they noticed very few cars and there were still a lot of horses. And most of the people, when not riding on trolley cars, walked everywhere. The men they saw were dressed just like them while the women wore dresses with nice bustles in the back and fancy hats. In this particular city, the people all seemed to be dressed to impress, even those people who may not have been as well off as others.

Taking in the sights around the city, they noticed signs of familiar New York landmarks that were missing all together. A few kids ran by, laughing and chasing a hoop rolling down the street. One kid rode by on a bicycle and rang the bell as he passed the men. Across the street there were a few sidewalk vendors with their goods on display in their wooden carts. The vendors were busy either tending to their carts or calling out for customers.

Up ahead, there was a man perched on a ladder just outside a building. He was busy screwing in lightbulbs into a sign above the door. The sign read Booth Theatre and seeing this made The Monkees smile. With the door open they could hear music coming from inside the theatre. They also heard voices from who they assumed to be performers, and this caused them to grow curious.

"Excuse me, sir?" Davy asked. "Is there a show going on inside?"

The man looked down at them and then turned back to screw in another bulb. "Not at the moment. I believe they're rehearsing though."

"Could we go in to take a peek?"

"Just as long as you don't disturb the performers."

"Thank you, sir." Davy tipped his hat and then the four of them entered the theatre.

The tinkling of an upright piano greeted them. Though the lights were dim, everyone found their way to the red velvet-covered seats. Nobody was onstage but voices were heard behind the curtains. As The Monkees sat down, they heard a man beginning to lose his temper with a shrill-voiced woman. Frowns span across the faces of all four Monkees the moment that they recognized these voices. While listening to the arguing couple backstage, the four of them sat back in their seats with the same "here we go again" thoughts shared amongst them.

The lights dimmed even more, and two spotlights swirled on the red curtain. This meant that The Monkees and the few other people in the audience were about to see a private show.

Lights came up on stage and the curtain opened. A girl dressed in a skimpy, sparkly outfit, walked across the stage carrying a sign. She held the sign at center stage to show the audience and then propped it up on a stand, off to the left of the stage. When The Monkees read the names "Renaldo and Buntwell" they weren't surprised. It was then when they knew they'd no longer head Mendoza's previous warnings about interfering with people. They had done so much already that they decided to sit back and just go with the flow of things.

The piano music became livelier, and then Renaldo and Ms. Buntwell danced out to center stage. They entered a routine that was a mixture of tap dancing and jokes. Every once in a while one of them would sing a few lines of a song. In the audience, The Monkees watched with mixed feelings because of their memories of the performers. They tried to push these thoughts aside and enjoy the show. But part way through, they saw the performance begin to fall apart. Renaldo would often take wrong steps and put the blame on Ms. Buntwell. As the performance progressively worsened, Renaldo's temper began to rise. Suddenly, he cued the music to stop and he started yelling at Ms. Buntwell. She yelled back before storming off stage.

This instantly caused concern from The Monkees. Somehow, they had the feeling that this sort of fight had happened before. And if it had happened before, it was likely to get a lot worse between the performers. On this notion, The Monkees got upset and made their way backstage, ready to play hero once again.

Once backstage they saw Ms. Buntwell near the changing area. She muttered to herself, cursing Renaldo, while she tore off her stage clothes. Leaving her sequined gold costume on the floor, stomped on it before kicking it behind her. She quickly put on regular clothes while yelling out a "you bastard Renaldo!" towards the stage. The Monkees stood back and watched as she grabbed a bag and began packing a few things into it. She slung the bag strap over her shoulder, not noticing a pamphlet fall out of the bed, and then she stormed over to the stage door.

While the other three followed Ms. Buntwell out the door, Micky bent down to pick up the pamphlet. His eyes widened and he gasped once he saw what it actually was. He stuffed the pamphlet into his jacket pocket and ran out the door to join the others.

Once he made it to where the others were, he saw the other three consoling Ms. Buntwell. He got Mike's attention and quietly pulled him aside to show him what he found. Mike's face fell as he gazed upon the pamphlet and his jaw became agape. When he recovered himself, he and Micky started quietly discussing the matter. Their private conversation was brief but serious, and then they rejoined the group with this information weighing over them.

"I've had it! I'm through with that Renaldo!" Ms. Buntwell took a cigarette out of her bag. "Have any of you gentlemen a lighter by chance?"

They all gave different apologetic remarks, which she kindly accepted. Micky reached into his pocket and pulled out a match. He struck it on the bottom of his shoe and then lit her cigarette.

"Thank you so much." She smiled and puffed on the cigarette before holding it casually down by her thigh. Looking at the four of them, her eyebrows pushed together in puzzlement.

"Do I know you gentlemen from somewhere?" After they denied knowing her, she shrugged this off. "Very well then." She sighed a little and puffed on her cigarette. "I hope you boys don't mind I unload a bit. I really could use someone to talk to."

"Not at all, miss." Mike said with a slight grin. "We all need someone to talk to sometimes."

She smiled. "Thank you." She hesitated before entering her story.

Ms. Buntwell spoke about how she and Renaldo formed an act, and how Renaldo had often tried to force her into a romantic relationship. She had always stood her ground against that, which caused him to take his temper out on her while onstage. She explained how Renaldo would always push her around and blame all his mistakes on her. And how for a while she wanted to leave the act and start a solo one.

"Now's my chance." She took one last, long drag of her cigarette and blew out the smoke. "I'm through with him! He can find another girl." She dropped the cigarette and stamped it out with her shoe. "One who's actually dumb enough to fall for him and put up with his bull. Then he'll see soon enough that he was not meant for the vaudeville stage!"

"Where do you plan on going?" Peter asked, awed by her story.

"Actually, I plan on heading to England for a few months. I have some family there. And the best dance teacher I've ever known. He'll help me work out my act. Renaldo certainly couldn't. He can't teach dancing even if it'd save his life." She scoffed. "And yet, he calls himself the best dance teacher in the world. Renaldo's nothing but a sham. Found that out the hard way."

"You're actually going to England?" Davy asked, a bit surprised.

"Mike and Micky waved their hands, as a signal to the other two guys. They all excused themselves before walking away for a discussion. That was when Micky showed Peter and Davy the pamphlet. They were both stunned and a bit saddened when they saw that it was a brochure all about the Titanic. Putting things together, they realized that Ms. Buntwell would be in England around the time when the Titanic was set to launch. They figured out that she had planned to return to New York on the Titanic. With this devastating discovery, they knew they'd have to convince her not to go on this trip. The only trouble was, they had no idea how to do this without giving away any knowledge of the tragedy.

Stepping over to them with curiosity, Ms. Buntwell peeked at the brochure in Micky's hands. She gasped and took it from him.

"Where did you get this?" she asked in surprise.

"We found it inside the theatre. Is it yours?"

"Yes it's mine." She held it close to her chest and gushed. "I can't believe it! The Titanic is going to be the most lavish passenger ship ever built." She smiled as she flipped through the brochure. "This says all about what the passengers can expect while aboard. There's even a couple photographs giving a sneak peek of the inside. This is the grand dining hall!" she pointed to the picture. "Won't be ready for a couple months. With so many people already going, I sure hope I can get my ticket."

"You mean you don't have a ticket yet?" Mike asked, trying not to sound relieved.

"No. Only the absolute rich have tickets this early. I have some money saved but not nearly enough to reserve a spot. I was counting on the next couple shows to give me enough money for my ticket to England. Once there someone was going to give me money for the Titanic." Her smile faded. "Now it looks like I'm not doing this show. I'll have to find some other way to get the money."

"Ms. Buntwell," Davy said "you told us you wanted to go to England to set up a solo show, right?" Ms. Buntwell confirmed. "Well why not just stay here in New York and make your show here? I think you'd have much more success with an American audience."

Peter nodded eagerly. "That's right! Do your show here. Your act could be way better than Renaldo's."

Micky grinned. "And you know, once you make it big here, then you'd be able to travel to other countries with your act."

"It's be much better to wait until you have a name here. Then that way other countries like England would be begging for you to come on over with your show."

Ms. Buntwell smiled and let out a small laugh. "You boys are absolutely right! That makes so much sense. How brilliant!" her smiled faded some. "But wait. What about the Titanic?"

"Oh that? Pshaw!" Micky laughed. "That's just a boat. And there are other ways to travel. And plenty of other times to ride on nice boats. Sure there's excitement about this one now, but excitement fades. Besides, you'll need this time now to work on your act, am I right?"

She laughed. "You're right! The Titanic can wait." She hugged all four of them. "Thank you all so much. You don't realize how much this helps. Honestly, I've been on boats before. I get seasick."

They all laughed and then she hugged each of them again, thanking them. Excited about her new plans, she began talking some more about her new plans for her act. They praised her and gave her lots of encouragement, knowing how happy she was. When the time was right, and when she stopped talking long enough, they let her know that they should be leaving. She thanked them again, and as a final gesture, she wrote them a quick note. The note read:

"Look me up next time you're in New York. XOXO, Karen Buntwell."

Ms. Buntwell gave them each a kiss on the cheek and then waved them goodbye. They walked away while thinking about Mendoza's mission. It was then when they examined the note. Sure enough, as they turned it over, they saw that this was another piece of the mysterious document. They all laughed and cheered in excitement before ducking into the nearest alley. Each of them took hold of the paper and then beams of light surrounded them. Moments later, they were whisked away, headed one again for Mendoza's laboratory.


	7. Continuation Negotiation

Chapter Seven: Continuation Negotiation

Doctor Mendoza and Groot waited nervously, practically biting each other's nails. They both jumped nearly out of their skins when a flash of light filled the room. The machine began grinding loudly and shaking violently as it prepared for another return of the travelers. After the previous traveling mishap, there was no telling what might happen to The Monkees. Mendoza could only cross his fingers and pray for another safe return.

The light filled the room again but was brighter this time. Whistles sounded and buzzers went off as the light concentrated around the upright lab tables. Soon the light faded and the machine wound down to a stop. All four Monkees appeared, seemingly unharmed, in their restraints on the tables.

Mendoza approached them and began carefully examining them. He then began slowly bringing them back to full consciousness.

"Ah Monkees welcome back once again. How is everyone feeling? Were there any more traveling mishaps?"

"Oh um..." Mike blinked and allowed his vision and head to clear. "Fine. We're just fine."

Micky looked at himself. "Doesn't seem to be any mishaps. Everything seems to be here."

"All's well on my end." Davy said "Got a bloody hangnail though. And nothing with me to take care of it. Otherwise, smashing."

Peter whimpered and started to cry. This got everyone else's attention and they asked him what was wrong.

"We went through all that and helped Ms. Buntwell and we never even got to see the rest of the show!"

This resulted in groans and a chorus of "Oh Peter" from the other three Monkees. After they had consoled him, they turned back to speak with Mendoza. They presented the piece of the document, which excited Mendoza very much. He took the paper and put it into place on his table with the other pieces.

"You have done well, Monkees! There's just one final piece left!"

The Monkees groaned and began to protest. They claimed that they had agreed upon one last trip, which they had just completed. Seeing that neither of them were wanting to travel again, Mendoza knew he'd have to sweeten things for them.

"Monkees, my boys, I know you've grown weary of this experiment. But I need one last piece of my document. I need it because it's the part in the middle." He could see that he was losing them so he got straight to the point. "If you boys go for one last time I will increase your already generous payment."

Hearing this got The Monkees to perk up. With the prospect of more money in the air, the four of them began discussing this. Truthfully, at the beginning of the experiment they were already iffy about helping Mendoza again. But once he brought up a large payment, they gave in and decided to go along with the experiment. Mendoza had told them they'd each receive $1,000 which was way more money that either of them had ever seen. So they knew they'd be fools to turn this down. Now there was an offer for more money, which was very enticing indeed.

Mike cleared his throat and took charge at speaking to Mendoza for the group.

"How much more are you offering?"

"I will start at an extra 100 dollars for each of you."

The Monkees entered another brief discussion before Mike looked at Mendoza again.

"We feel that in order to continue with this experiment, we'll need more than that."

"More. Alright, let me check my bankbook."

Mendoza stepped aside and rummaged through his desk drawers. He pulled out a bankbook and flipped through it for a moment.

"How about I bump that to 500 for the four of you?"

Again, The Monkees started discussing the matter. Mike played spokesman for the group again.

"No good. We've already been through a lot with you. That includes when you stole our music ability for your android."

"Very well then." Mendoza looked through his bankbook again. "How about… an extra 1,000 dollars for all four of you boys. Final offer."

They came together for another discussion but this one was even shorter than the others. This time they all turned to Mendoza and gave their reply in unison.

"We'll take it."

Mendoza smiled, and closed his bankbook hard. "Very well! It's a deal! And boys, I promise, this will be the last one."

He instructed Groot to start the machine again. Lights began flashing and buzzers sounded. The upright lab tables shook a little as a screeching whistle was heard. The Monkees winced as the light surrounding them became even more intense. There was a bigger, bright flash and then The Monkees were gone.


	8. Depressing News

Chapter eight: Depressing News

The ground rumbled a little bit as the four light beams crashed down from the sky. When the light faded, The Monkees stood there, gaining their bearings. As usual, they found a stack of clothes and an accompanying note from Mendoza. This time all the note said was "You know what to do. Good luck, boys. Doctor Mendoza."

Mike frowned over the note and stuffed it into his pocket. He passed out the clothes to everyone and then they all started getting dressed for the new time period. As they looked at themselves and at their surroundings, they noticed that not very much had changed. Their attire, though a little different, was still suits. There were a lot more cars on the road and fewer people walking everywhere. They were in the middle of a city but this one didn't look like New York. Puzzled by the few changes they had trouble figuring out exactly what time period this was.

The Monkees began roaming about the city, trying to blend in as much as they could. As they walked, they tried to find different clues which would give them a better idea of where and when they were. It wasn't long before they realized they were in the middle of Chicago.

On ne street corner, they came across a man handing out stacks of newspapers to a group of boys. The boys would take their stack and dash away with them, ready for their day's sale. When The Monkees got close enough, they took a peek at a stack of papers on the sidewalk. They scanned through the front page and saw it was the Chicago Tribune and the date was October 17, 1931. The headline spoke about Al Capone being convicted of tax evasion and announced that he was going to prison.

When they looked up, they saw another boy running up to the man. The boy huffed and appeared apologetic. The man gruffly shoved a stack of papers into his arms.

"You're late, kid. Get to work!"

"Yes sir." The boy gave a glum grin and then ran off with the newspapers.

Though they didn't react when they saw the boy, The Monkees knew right away who he was; Melvin. They watched him a little bit as he hurried down the street with the newspapers. He looked to be having a bit of a struggle to carry the papers, but he managed the best that he could.

Melvin tripped, dropping the newspapers. He groaned, cursed under his breath, and went to work picking up the newspapers. This cued The Monkees to come to his aid. They helped him re-stack the papers and then tied the bundle securely with a bit of twine. Though still visibly down, Melvin thanked them for their help.

"I've got to hurry and deliver these newspapers." Melvin grunted as he picked up the bundle. "I was already late so I'll get less pay per paper now." He sighed. "But it isn't like I haven't had my pay docked before. Thanks again, fellas. I have to hurry."

They let Melvin walk away, despite knowing that they were going to help him. An air of sadness and desperation surrounded him, and it was almost too much to bear. This was a far cry from the boy they had met before and they felt their hearts going out to him even more now. They didn't know Melvin's story in this time period, or exactly why he would need help. But they started discussing ways they could help him anyway. Even if it was just to cheer him up for a while. After their discussion, they headed out to follow Melvin on his route.

Not getting too far down the road, they spotted Melvin around the corner. Melvin sat on his stack of newspapers, leaning forward with his head in his hands. He had removed his glasses and had begun to wipe his eyes on the back of his hand.

With a tilted head and look of concern, Mike was the first one to approach him.

"Hey…" he said in the gentlest voice. Melvin looked up at him. "Hey now what's the matter?"

"Hello mister." Melvin sniffed. "I'm supposed to be delivering these papers. Every day I deliver papers for very little pay. I have to sell them, see, because my family needs the money. But I can't always find people to sell them to. The other paperboys, they beat me to the customers. They are better at selling. Nobody ever wants to buy from me." He sniffed and cried a little more. By this time, the other three Monkees gathered around him with their sympathies.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't sell to anyone. And my boss is so mean. If I don't sell enough or if I'm late he docks m pay. I'm not getting paid much as it is. And I need every penny I can possibly earn to help my family."

"Listen, son," Mike said "please don't cry. We know these are hard times for everyone. But we're willin' to help." He looked at the other three. They confirmed.

"Mister I don't think there's any way you could possibly help. Unless you had a way of making my family not be poor." Melvin sniffed

"No, sorry, we can't do that." Mike said sadly.

Davy placed a hand on Melvin's shoulder "But we can help you out with selling papers."

A very small grin appeared on Melvin's face. "Gee thanks, mister. But that'll only help for today."

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be a start."

"Sure!" Micky smiled. "There's more we could help you with!"

"Oh yeah?" Melvin asked skeptically. "Like how?"

"How?" Micky looked at the other three for help.

They came together for a discussion. It was clear that, even though they really wanted to help, neither of them had no idea how it could be done. But they were determined to help him while they were there.

All the ideas they came up with would just be temporary solutions to a far bigger problem. A much bigger problem for a little boy to handle. In the middle of their discussion, a thought occurred to them about how people normally fought unfair working conditions; striking. This would be a sure-fire way to get Melvin's boss to change his tune. Strikes, especially the early ones which gave birth to unions, were the best way to go. The only problem was, one kid protesting could hardly be called a strike. The Monkees knew they would have to gather the rest of the paperboys and spread this idea to them. They knew they'd have to get all the help they could in order to make this strike a success.

When they turned back to Melvin, they told him their plan. His face instantly brightened and he sat upright on his stack of papers. As they told him more about the strike, electricity raged through his body and he bolted to his feet. He exclaimed with gusto that he was going to round up every paperboy he knew, including those who didn't work for his boss. The more paperboys on his side, the better the outcome would be.

Melvin dashed away in a hurry, leaving The Monkees with his stack of unsold newspapers. They looked at the papers and debated whether or not they should further the good deed by selling all the papers for him. (Or at least buying all the copies themselves and leaving him a generous tip.) In the end, they knew this idea with the strike would benefit Melvin much more than the little money they could provide him for just one day.

Within the hour, Melvin had returned with a small group of boys, all excited about the strike. Once they gathered pieces of cardboard and whatever they could find to write with, they began making signs. The Monkees provided them with suggestions on what to write but the boys did the rest. Suddenly, one boy, a little smaller than Melvin, ran up to the group. He huffed, catching his breath, then spouted out important, exciting news. Lots more boys were coming to join the paperboy strike. Hearing this news, The Monkees stood back proudly over how things were already turning out. They felt then that this mission was the best one of them all.

They already felt happier and more fulfilled than they did when they helped Melvin discover the meaning of Christmas. This was because they realized that while the Christmas thing made Melvin happy for a day, this strike would essentially make him happy for much longer.

Soon, more paperboys arrived as promised. All the boys went to work making signs and strategizing their strike. When they had everything planned, they went over to The Monkees and thanked them for their help. The Monkees insisted that all they did was provide the boys with the idea. It truly was the boys who put everything in motion for this strike. Accepting this, the boys went back to work.

The boys collectively decided their group would need a leader; a spokesperson for the entire group. Right away they knew that this was the perfect job for Melvin. They rallied around Melvin and hoisted him in the air in celebration. Once they sat him back down, Melvin smiled and accepted his new position. He then went over to The Monkees and gave them each a hug.

The Monkees were more than glad to be there for him in his time of need. Even though all they did was give him the idea and motivation for the strike, they knew that this was just what he needed. All they had to do now was stand back and watch with pride as the boys began their strike.

The boys marched to the stand where Melvin's boss had his "office" area set up. The man sat there at the wooden stand counting money he kept in a metal box. He grumbled to himself and wrote down certain marks beside boys names in a sort of register. Hearing the group of boys coming his way, he looked up and placed the money back into the box. He watched as the boys, closely followed by The Monkees, marched up to the stand. Most boys held cardboard signs but all boys were chanting about the man being unfair and various things about the strike.

The man stood and scowled as he listened to the chants. He spied The Monkees and waved them over to the stand. At first The Monkees insisted they couldn't cross the picket line. When the man insisted that they come speak to him, they agreed to go to a mutual spot that wouldn't cross the line.

"Did you put these boys up to this?" He asked in a gruff tone.

"No, sir, we merely suggested ways which they could improve their situation." Mike said. "They handled the rest on their own."

"That's right!" Micky added. "The one in charge is that boy over there." He pointed to Melvin.

"Is that so?" The man asked.

"Yes, sir, that is so." Davy moved up on his toes to look him in the eyes. "These boys are smart. They rallied themselves up. All we did was give them the idea."

Peter nodded eagerly. "That's right. They did this. All of this. Just ask them."

"Hmm…" The man looked over at the group of boys who were currently marching in a circle in front of the stand while chanting. "Hey boy! You! Melvin!" He pointed. "Get over here!"

Melvin was a little reluctant at first, but then he stood straight and proud, puffin out his chest. He held his sign secure over one shoulder and marched straight over to his boss. The man knelt to Melvin's level and began talking to him about the strike. He was a bit gruff but Melvin didn't let that intimidate him. Melvin spoke seriously with him and held his ground. Soon, the man softened a bit and agreed to negotiate with him. They shook hands and walked back over to the stand.

After a little while, The Monkees witnessed Melvin and his boss shake hands again. The four of them were hopeful and eager to hear the outcome of the negotiations. They watched, holding their breath, as Melvin went to the other boys. He started talking to them and then moments later the boys cheered, dropping their signs. The boys hoisted Melvin in celebration, which got The Monkees excited. The Monkees hurried over to the boys and cheered along with them. The boys sat Melvin down and he thanked The Monkees before giving them hugs.

They shared in the celebration for a little bit longer before Melvin stepped away with The Monkees for a private conversation. After talking for a few moments, The Monkees surprised him one final time by offering to pay for all of the papers as a final gesture. Melvin looked at them with a big smile, but turned down their offer. Instead, he gave them a free newspaper as something to remember him by. This actually made them feel grateful as they accepted the newspaper. They knew this would be something special to keep with them, along with their memories of helping him and the others they'd helped along the way.

With the newspaper in hand, the four time travelers said goodbye to Melvin. They left him knowing he was much happier and that he would be okay. It occurred to them, while ducking into the nearest alley, that they had not completed the mission for Mendoza. Or perhaps they did?

Micky looked at Mike thoughtfully. "Look inside the newspaper."

Mike nodded. "I should look in the newspaper."

No more words needed to be said. As they watched Mike carefully unfold the newspaper, they held their breath in anticipation. The first fold had nothing but articles. Mike opened the newspaper, causing their anticipation to grow. He carefully flipped a page and a small piece of paper slipped out. The paper fluttered to the ground and landed by their feet. Mike picked it up and then smiled as he displayed it to the other guys.

Each of them smiled, greatly relieved and very much ready to be home. They each grabbed part of the paper and waited to be transported. The ground rumbled a little. Beams of light burst down from the sky. The beams surrounded The Monkees and absorbed them. The four men dissolved into nothing once again, leaving absolutely no traces or memory of them behind.


	9. The End of the Experiment

Chapter nine: The End of the Experiment

Doctor Mendoza wrung his hands and paced a little. Groot began pacing behind him, but didn't realize when Mendoza was about to turn. Every time Mendoza would turn, he'd run into Groot. Mendoza would guide Groot away and then continue pacing.

Suddenly, Mendoza looked up towards the upright lab tables and saw four beams of light crash down around them. The machine beeped and buzzed while different colored lights flashed. Mendoza and Groot ran over to the lab tables.

The Monkees appeared in their restraints but were unconscious. Mendoza stopped the machine and walked over to The Monkees. He woke them up individually and then took a step back with an eager smile.

"Well?" He clasped his hands together.

Mike blinked and grunted a little as his vision cleared. "Hmm? Oh… oh yeah. Um…" He glanced over at the other three guys next to him. "Everything alright?"

Micky groaned and opened his eyes. Unable to use his hands to rub his eyes, he squeezed them shut before opening them again. "Mmm? Yeah. Alright."

"That one seemed rough." Davy grumbled, holding his eyes shut.

"The final return journey usually is rough." Mendoza said as he unfastened their restraints.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Ah! What indeed!" Mendoza laughed and then helped them down from the lab tables.

The Monkees stumbled a bit before they regained their bearings. They walked over to the nearest table and sat down. Peter took the newspaper that he had tucked under one arm, and unfolded it in front of him. He then sat in amazement as he read all the historical articles. Davy leaned closer and watched him curiosly.

"You actually managed to bring that back?"

Peter grinned and nodded before diving back into the newspaper.

"How did you even wind up with it? I was the one holding it." Mike asked, puzzled.

"How does Peter wind up with _anything _he owns?" Micky asked sarcastically.

Peter smiled and shrugged. "Just lucky I guess. I have other things in my pockets too. Like one of the trinkets that a runaway gave us and a feather that fell off Millie's outfit and a gold coin from when we helped Fern." He said proudly.

"What? Nothing from Ms. Buntwell?" Davy asked.

"No." Peter shook his head. "I wanted to snatch the Titanic pamphlet but she had it. " He searched his pockets, pulling out the items. "Oh!" he chuckled. "I found a few sequins from Ms. Buntwell's stage clothes."

"That is really impressive Peter." Mike patted him on the back. "Looks like you have quite a collection there."

Peter grinned proudly. "Thank you."

Mendoza walked over to the table and examined all of Peter's items. He commented about how impressive a collection this was, and that Peter really was lucky to have gathered all of it when he did. Mendoza then asked them for the final piece of the document, to which Mike provided.

"Yes! Ah fine, fine work my boys!" Mendoza smiled and danced a little jig while holding the paper in his hand. "The final piece! You found the final piece!"

He then walked over to his desk where the other pieces of the document were. He placed the piece in the middle and stood back, smiling with excitement. The Monkees looked over in curiosity and tried to get a look at the document.

Mike leaned forward. His eyes were narrowed and eyebrows were pushed together. "Hey Doc, you never told us what that document was. Why was it so important for you to get it?"

Doctor Mendoza chuckled. "Yes it is very important. Much more important than you could know."

The Monkees looked at each other, confused.

"Ok but _why _is it so important? Why did you need it?" Mike asked.

"You ask so many questions. It is important to me because of reasons that only I need to understand."

Mendoza then distracted The Monkees from further questions when he walked over to his wall safe. While spinning the combination lock he looked at them.

"Now, I believe there is still a matter of payment for you boys. I'd like to thank you boys for helping me with this experiment." He spun the lock again. "I could not have got better helpers than the four of you. And for that, I am grateful." He spun the lock to another number and opened the safe.

Mendoza took out stacks of money and began counting it. The Monkees watched in awe as he walked over to them with the money. Neither of them had seen this much money before (aside form believing they were filming a bank robbery movie, and what they had won in coins while gamboling.) They couldn't believe it was actually all for them. Mendoza began dividing the money up and gave each Monkee his own stack.

"There you are, boys. 2,000 for each of you."

The Monkees smiled as they accepted the money. They caressed their own stacks and stared at them, to see that the money was indeed real. Picking up the money, they somehow managed to restrain their urges to throw it into the air. Then, standing up, they practically tackled Mendoza to the ground in a group hug, celebrating their generous payment.

It wasn't long before The Monkees headed home. They left, not only with their payment and whatever items Peter managed to keep from the past, but with all kinds of lasting memories from their adventures. They also had the knowledge of being time travelers when others had only dreamed of doing so. The only thing that bothered them upon leaving Mendoza's lab was the mystery he kept about the document they had helped him collect. They knew that this was something they'd wonder about for a long time.

Back in the lab, Mendoza taped together all the pieces of the document. He then stepped back, smiled and rubbed his hands together in pride.

"At last!" He laughed. "At last I have it!"

Groot peeked over Mendoza's shoulder at the document. "What do you have, master?"

"This, Groot, is a map. Not just any map, mind you. This map will lend me to where my android is."

"I wondered what became of him." He scratched his head as he looked at the map. "Where is he?"

"We'll find out once we follow the map." He began running his finger along a marked trail on the paper. "The android started here when he left on his journey. And… Ah!" he laughed. "We will find him somewhere along here! But we'll have to take the time machine."

"But why, master?"

"Because, Groot, even though the map shows us the android's path and where he wound up, it doesn't show us what time period he is in. We'll have to check all the time periods the boys visited. Maybe others."

Mendoza walked over to the time machine. He studied it and the upright tables. "Hmm…. I might need to make a few modifications before we go." He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Let's get to work!"


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Salem Massachusetts, 1692_

The android secured his blacksmith's apron around his waist. He smoothed down his clothes and then stepped out of the blacksmith's shop. A stack of clothes sat on the ground just outside the door. The android picked up the clothes and then began carrying the clothes to the edge of the town.

A man who happened to be passing by, stopped him and asked about the clothes. The android politely grinned ad briefly mentioned he was taking the clothes to some gentlemen in need. Satisfied with this, the man bid him a good day and walked away. The android continued on his way, bringing the clothes to where he knew The Monkees would land.

As he sat the clothes down, he looked towards the sky. He saw beams of light beginning to peek through the clouds. That was when he ducked out of sight. From his hiding spot, he watched as The Monkees made their arrival.

For just a moment, he watched as The Monkees read the instructions and get dressed. Once he knew all would go as planned, he walked away with a satisfied smirk.

Once back in the shop, the android looked around the area. He narrowed his eyes as they fell upon the window. It was important for him to find just the right spot without anyone noticing what he was doing. His eyes scanned the area again and then landed upon the high shelf where a cast iron box and some tools sat. A small grin softly spread across his lips as he reached into his pocket.

Taking the folded document out of his pocket, the android ripped off a piece of it. He neatly tucked the paper on the shelf next to the box. His grin widened as he examined his work.

Stepping over to the fire place, he stuck the poker rod into the ashes. He then used the ash-covered poker to write a message on the nearest wall.

Come find me.

He put the poker back where he got it and then walked over to the shop entrance. Smirking smugly, the android blacksmith strolled around the corner of the building where he wouldn't be seen. There he stood, waiting for the two approaching Monkees. He listened and periodically peeked at Micky and Davy as they searched inside the shop.

_Colon California, 1849_

Tipping his cowboy hat up and out of his eyes, the android entered the saloon. He slowly made his way around the room and found an empty table. Taking a seat, he nodded with a soft grin at Millie. After she left with his order for a pitcher, the android waited for the new arrivals.

Minutes later, the saloon doors swung open, and five men entered. Four of the men looked exhausted nearly to death. The android smirked and watched The Monkees talked and drank with the man and the table. He knew things would take a while to progress, but it would be well worth the wait.

After a little while, Larry burst into the saloon and rushed over to Millie. When the android heard Larry's news of the claim jumpers, he knew now was the time to move. He stood and walked past the Monkees' table (unbeknownst to them) and left the saloon. His first stop would be with nearest horse stable.

Cowboy android took a horse from the stable and rode away. He knew exactly where to go, and he knew he'd have to get there plenty of time ahead of the others.

When he got near the claim, he saw the two jumpers, right in the middle of working. He got off the horse and then reached into his pants pocket. Pulling out the document, he unfolded it and ripped off a piece. While stroking the horse's mane, the android slipped the paper into the saddle bag. He then patted the horse on the back to get it to walk towards the claim jumpers. He then dove down into the tall grass and crawled over to the claim.

When the jumpers saw the horse, they stopped it. At first they questioned the horse's presence. But when they realized it could be useful to them, they tied it to the nearest tree stump.

Cowboy android spied on the jumpers while he lay in waiting in the grass. It wasn't long before the others showed up and began working on their plan. The android smirked, when he knew exactly what they were going to do. The moment that he saw Davy get on the horse and ride right past him, he knew it was a good time for him to leave. He had to move on to another place and another time.

_Clark's Mill Missouri, 1863_

Holding the stack of clothes, the android stood and waited. He sat the clothes down and started to walk away. Finding a place to hide, the watched in waiting for the arrival of The Monkees. After a few minutes and nobody showed up, the android checked the time and frowned.

The Monkees weren't coming. But the android knew they'd be in this time period. He thought for a moment and quickly realized that something had gone wrong. He would have to come up with a new plan.

_Prairie Grove, Arkansas_

Adjusting his confederate soldier uniform, the android entered the camp. He picked an empty tent and sat in it to wait. He wasn't certain who would arrive here, but he knew one of The Monkees would be there at camp.

When he heard a female voice, the soldier android peeked out the opening of his tent. He saw Butch and Queenie talking to each other. When he saw Davy walk over to them, the android sat back in his tent and listened. He reached into his pocket and took out the document. Ripping off a piece of the document, he peeked out of the tent again. He had to find a way to get the paper to Davy without being seen by any one. However, he knew that this was not the time or place to give them the paper.

_West Mineral, Kansas_

It was dark but this was the perfect time to move. The android walked quietly and kept hidden amongst the trees. He watched as the group of people, led by three of The Monkees, walked ahead of him. When he knew it was just the right time, he snuck out of his hiding spot and began following the group as quietly as he could.

When the group stopped to rest, the android took his chance. He snuck over as close to the group as he could without getting caught. A woman sat down her bag and turned away from it. The android carefully and swiftly snatched the bag. He slipped the paper inside and put the bag back where it was. Then he slipped away, headed back into the woods without ever being noticed.

_New York City, 1912_

Tipping his bowler derby to a passing woman, the android left the alley way. He smirked to himself and knew that The Monkees would arrive soon. After briefly checking his pocket for the document, he started walking to the theatre.

Once at the theatre, the android said hello to the man on the ladder before heading inside. He walked down towards the stage and checked the lights and curtain. Once everything looked ready to go, he walked backstage to get ready to work.

Performers rushed past him as they prepared for their acts. Barked orders at Ms. Buntwell as they too passed the android. Ms. Buntwell dropped her bag and the android picked it up for her. He smiled softly at her and she gave a leery thank you before walking away.

The android walked to the wing of the stage and peeked out the curtain. A smirk came to his lips and a small glint was in his eyes. He saw The Monkees enter the theatre and walk to their seats. Slinking away from the curtain, the android went back to work.

Upon his cue, the android pulled open the curtain. Renaldo and Ms. Buntwell passed him and awaited their music cue. When the time was right, the android walked over to the changing area. He picked up Ms. Buntwell's bag and slipped a piece of the document inside. He then whistled coyly and walked back over to the stage wing to where the curtain ropes were. A small chuckle escaped him as he thought that there was just one more place to go.

_Chicago Illinois, 1931_

After placing the clothes in the alley, the android got on a truck and drove away. Pulling the truck up to the wooden stand, the android parked and then got out of the truck. He walked over to the man in charge and greeted him. They then went to the back of the truck to unload the newspapers. The android helped the man set up the newspaper stacks on the wooden stand and then he drove away again.

He smirked to himself after checking the time. The Monkees would be there soon. This meant that the game was almost over. Knowing this, he drove the truck to a different location and parked it. There still would be time before he could make his move, so the android decided to take a walk and wait for the right moment.

After a while, he came to a corner and saw the newspaper boys gathering with excitement over the strike. The android knew it was time to make his move. He waited while The Monkees had their full attention on the boys and were helping them with their plans. He snuck out of his hiding spot and picked up a newspaper. He unfolded the newspaper and opened it to a page near the middle. Placing the document paper inside, he then folded the paper and put it back on top of the stack.

Looking at the leftover cardboard, he decided to take one for himself. He grabbed something he could use to write and scribbled a message on the cardboard.

Come find me.

The android chuckled and strolled away. He went back to his truck and started driving to a new destination. From there he would choose a new location and a new time. The game for The Monkees was over, but for the android and Doctor Mendoza, the game had just begun.


End file.
